When a leader develops the courage to become authentically humble, the benefits flow not only to the leader, they flow also to her or his team, or organisation.
Being humble never means being weak or ‘soft’.
It means having the courage to:
- Show gratitude for others’ efforts.
- Own up to one’s own mistakes in a timely manner.
- Treat even the disrespectful with respect, though not tolerating the disrespect itself.
- Coach instead of command, except in emergencies.
- Greet people before they greet you, with sincerity.
- Ask instead of tell.
- Listen to them all first and speak last.
- Listen with all your mind and body.
- Remember that you don’t know everything and there are people smarter than you in the room.
- Remember that most of the respect is for your position and you must earn personal respect.
- Remember that you are there for them, not the other way around.
- Hand over your position sooner rather than later, because you’ve developed your replacement lineage well.
If the leader has that courage to be humble, the benefits will be:
- the culture of the organisation will be:
- co-creative (far more valuable than merely collaborative),
- high performing, and
- productive.
- The organisation will be the road to becoming the preferred employer and preferred provider in their market – mindful that their values, relationships and results are crucial.
- The leader will:
- sleep well at night,
- experience more joy,
- more professional achievement, and
- escape the ravages of a savage ego.
Where are you on the humility spectrum?
