Traditionally, people have been taught to show no weakness, especially around strangers or in professional settings. But more recently, there has been a cultural shift toward valuing authenticity and encouraging people to reveal their full selves, flaws and all. While this trend is gaining traction, it doesn’t necessarily apply to every context or audience. For example, entrepreneurs pitching their ideas to potential backers may not be in position to fully embrace vulnerability. In these high-stakes situations, the decision to disclose personal flaws becomes a strategic one. New research (Howe & Menges, 2025) tells us when this approach might work and when it might not.
THE RESEARCH STUDY
Across four studies, the researchers found that only specific types of flaw disclosures can be beneficial – namely, those related to a lack of agency or a sense of inferiority (e.g., “I tend to be an insecure person.”) Even then, revealing these flaws only helped in certain contexts. In the study, entrepreneurs who revealed these personal struggles were more likely to build psychological closeness with investors who recognized the same traits in themselves. This sense of shared vulnerability sometimes led to increased investment and, at the very least, didn’t harm the chances of investment. However, among investors who did not share the same flaws, these disclosures could backfire.
Importantly, all of this was only true when disclosing inferiority flaws, as superiority flaws (e.g., “I tend to be an arrogant person.”) did not produce any positive outcomes. In the best-case scenario, superiority flaw disclosures had no effect; in the worst-case scenario, they alienated potential investors.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS
Entrepreneurs face a dual challenge: convincing investors of the strength of their ideas while also presenting themselves as credible and trustworthy. Based on this research, the authors offer three key takeaways for entrepreneurs who are navigating the decision to disclose personal flaws:
- Flaw disclosure may only be worthwhile if the entrepreneur has a good sense of their audience and believes there’s a likelihood of shared vulnerabilities. In such cases, revealing struggles with inferiority might foster a sense of connection and empathy.
- Sharing flaws that reflect an excess of agency and superiority offers no clear benefit and may even repel investors.
- Given the limited and context-dependent benefits of flaw disclosure, entrepreneurs might be better off avoiding it altogether unless they are confident it will resonate positively with their audience.
Howe, L. C., & Menges, J. I. (2025). Pitch imperfect: How investors respond to entrepreneur disclosure of personal flaws. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 186, 104388.
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