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Dennis Wilke is president of Rosedale Technical College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a national model for employer-first workforce training.

gettyOur organizational chart at Rosedale Technical College looks a little different from most. I’m the president and am exactly where I should be: at the bottom.

This doesn’t mean I’m not responsible for leading the organization. Just the opposite. Ultimately, someone has to be accountable for steering the ship, and that’s me. But I’ve learned over the years that being in charge doesn’t mean having all the answers—or reminding everyone that you’re in charge.

In fact, I’ve told our employees they’re not allowed to use the phrase “Dennis said so” to get something done. If you believe an idea is worth pursuing, you should be able to explain why, connect the dots for your colleagues and earn their support. My title shouldn’t be used as a hammer of authority.

But it took me some time to understand that. Like many leaders, I once thought my job was to know all the answers and provide specific instructions. Experience has taught me something different: One of the most important qualities a leader can develop is the willingness to be wrong.

I’d call that vulnerability.

Vulnerability isn’t weakness.We tend to associate the word vulnerability with weakness. Even the language we use reinforces the idea. In competition, we look for an opponent’s vulnerabilities so we can exploit them. In an argument, we search for weaknesses in the other person’s position. In business, we’re trained to identify vulnerabilities to have an edge over our competitors.

No wonder leaders are reluctant to reveal any of their own.

But leadership isn’t a zero-sum game. I don’t become less capable because someone on my team knows something I don’t. The organization doesn’t lose because someone challenges one of my ideas. Quite often, the opposite happens.

For me, vulnerability begins with humility: being comfortable with discovering that I’m wrong, remaining open to other opinions and recognizing that nobody has all the answers.

That doesn’t diminish a leader’s authority. I think it makes that authority more useful.

You don’t have to have all the answers.There was a time when I thought a leader’s job was to provide quick, clear answers in almost every situation. I’ve come to believe that’s not a job requirement.

My job is to build the team, create the environment and generate the resources that allow other people to contribute their expertise. I’m one piece of that system. An important piece, certainly, but still only one piece.

We have people at Rosedale who can do things I couldn’t begin to do. One of our automotive instructors has taught engine repair for more than two decades, and he knows far more than I do about what’s under the hood. But I couldn’t teach the same subject for 26 years. I’m happiest when I’m learning something new. That’s how I’m wired.

Neither role is more important than the other. We need both.

Recognizing that requires a certain amount of vulnerability. Leaders need to have enough confidence to perform their own role well without assuming their role makes them the smartest or most important person in the room.

Openness has to work both ways.Vulnerability also changes the conversations we’re able to have.

Some of the most productive conversations in business begin with candid questions: What isn’t working? Where are you struggling? What could you do differently? Those questions ask employees to examine their weaknesses, reconsider assumptions and sometimes admit uncomfortable truths.

We can’t reasonably expect that openness from other people if we’re unwilling to demonstrate it ourselves.

If I’m asking someone to reflect honestly on where they need to grow while presenting myself as someone who has nothing left to learn, I’ve created an impossible standard. I can’t expect someone else to strive for excellence if I’m not doing it myself.

Growth, by definition, requires acknowledging that we aren’t finished yet.

Vulnerability doesn’t mean abdicating responsibility.Vulnerable leadership doesn’t mean indecisive leadership.

I still believe someone needs to be responsible for getting something done. Collaborative organizations need accountability just as much as hierarchical ones do. Someone has to own the project, connect the dots, earn support and ultimately move the work forward.

What changes is how that authority is exercised.

“Because I said so” may be the quickest way to end a discussion, but it’s rarely the best way to build an organization capable of functioning without you.

A leader can listen, reconsider, admit a mistake and change direction without surrendering responsibility. In fact, I think doing those things requires more confidence than pretending to be certain all the time.

Personal growth is professional growth.We often talk about professional development as though it’s separate from personal development. We improve technical skills, learn new systems, earn certifications and become better at the mechanics of our jobs.

Leadership asks for something more personal.

It asks us to become more comfortable with what we don’t know. To listen without immediately defending ourselves. To ask questions when the answers may make us uncomfortable. And to recognize that changing our minds isn’t evidence that we failed; sometimes it’s evidence that we learned.

To me, vulnerability isn’t weakness. It’s having enough confidence to recognize that there’s always room to grow.​

Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?