1 Strong and Effective Leadership Trait Commonly Seen As Weak
Marcel Schwantes
I help CEOs to overcome complex leadership challenges, driving stronger teams and greater profits.
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Today, I want to explore with you a signature trait of great leaders?-- a trait that leads to?uncommon loyalty in employees. This trait is not commonly found in the trenches of a harsh, cold, transactional business environment. But it is revered and backed by science.
I speak of leadership humility. But fair warning: Calling yourself "humble" is something you cannot do because the very admission of it exposes you as potentially cocky.
Yet for leaders courageous enough to take the journey toward humility, the long-term benefits are plainly evident in the way followers respond.
Achieving Greatness Without Arrogance
When author and lecturer Jim Collins wrote about top leaders in his seminal book?Good to Great,?he said that they have mastered the paradoxical balance of personal humility and fierce resolve. Collins determined from his extensive research that these respected leaders?direct their ego away from themselves?to the larger goal of leading their company to greatness.
In essence, humble leaders achieve greatness without arrogance. They shift from ego to humility which can drastically alter the outcome to their advantage.
Let's now investigate the practical side of it. Here are three ways great leaders exercise their influence through humility.
1. Turn the spotlight on their people
Leaders who deflect the spotlight away from them and allow their followers to be in the spotlight gain respect at an alarming rate. There is something very liberating for employees when they receive credit.
Too many leaders hunger for the spotlight, too many leaders want to stay in the spotlight, and too many leaders forget to shine the spotlight on others. Great leaders turn the spotlight to the people they serve instead of keeping it to themselves.
2. Keep learning
Humble leaders are a different breed. They gladly accept the role of learners because they know it will make them better. They know that each person has something important to teach them.
They ask questions and are sincerely interested in the answers. They never assume they know more than the very people they lead. This is even more important for new managers with long-tenured employees or knowledge workers who hold expertise in a specific area.
In turn, humble leaders will leverage the skills and education of these people and enable them to contribute great ideas that lead to great customer experience.
3. Involve others
You'll find humble leaders in open spaces sharing plans for the future, communicating important things to their people, and fostering a transparent culture. The last thing you'll see a humble leader do is to hide behind closed doors or delegate important things to someone else.
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Lastly, humble leaders create an environment in which risks are taken, allowing those around them to feel safe to exercise their creativity, communicate their ideas openly, and provide input to major decisions. Because there's trust there, not fear. It communicates to employees a sense of "Hey, we're all in this together."
Your turn: How would you describe leadership humility in action? Leave a comment and let's learn from each other.
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About Marcel Schwantes
Marcel Schwantes ?is a highly-acclaimed executive coach, international speaker,?podcast host , and?syndicated columnist ?with a worldwide following. He trains emerging leaders and managers in the skills to build great work cultures where people flourish and businesses grow.
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1 年Thank you for such beautiful write up. No doubt humility increases a believer's self-confidence, which motivates a person to do race to all that is good without putting others down. Must be humble towards one another, so that no one wrongs another or boasts to another. Such humility in turn generates servant leader-type behaviors such as engaging in supportive relationships, presenting a socialized power motivation and leading through participation.
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1 年Nicholas Cornelius
Helping people managers solve people problems and making organisations great places for employees to thrive where everyone benefits
1 年A good consideration for anyone who thinks they need to ‘boss’ their team to be a good leader. I think the ability to say when they ‘don’t know’ and when they’ve ‘got it wrong’ are strong behaviours I’ve seen in humble leaders - they know their limitations and recognise the strengths of those around them and make continuous learning an open and two-way street.