Which comes first? Vulnerability or Trust? I tend to think it is iterative. It begins with a little vulnerability - the willingness to take a little risk to engage. As you set the example, you win a little trust. As you risk more to be vulnerable on a consistent basis, a pattern of behavior emerges, which drives more trust. As a side note, consistency breeds trust as well - conversely, there are few things more unsettling as a follower than dealing with a leader who is inconsistent in their behavior. And so the cycle continues - greater vulnerability breeds greater trust breeds greater vulnerability and so it goes.

What do you think?

By the way, I liked the analogy also.