Does humility belong in leadership?

In the latest episode of the Sparks by Ignium podcast, Phil Rose talks to author, international speaker, UN peacekeeper and former performance athlete Urs Koenig who presents a compelling argument for staying humble while driving results.

A tricky line to walk but thankfully Urs has plenty of practical information on how to do it taken from his journey so far and his book Radical Humility. He takes Phil through his experiences as a commander, coach, leader and family man to highlight his points of learning and how he’s used each one to impact his course and that of countless others.

Things we loved:

• What humble leadership is (and what it isn’t).
• Through his intriguing journey in the military, business, family life and international work, how he learned it’s possible to be both a good human and a badass leader.
• The importance of living in your client’s shoes.
• We’re all a work in progress.
• Leadership isn’t a popularity contest. Asking for feedback has to be active and ongoing but we get to choose what we want to work on.
• The three steps to reframing failure, even when it’s very public – drawn from his own very painful experiences and triumphant comeback.
• Vulnerability – when to use it in leadership and when not to. Also, how to acknowledge your blind spots because marginalised groups may not have the same freedoms.
• Humility is not a replacement for competence and what you might have to earn first.

Phil wraps this first conversation by asking Urs about the best feedback he’s been given recently and how he dealt with it. His answers will resonate with everyone.

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did and as you listen, make time to jot down the points you found useful, you never know when they might come in handy. Share and like too, it helps to get our message out there to those who also want to scale their business, life and impact.