The Humble CEO: A (Quick) Rundown
Joshua Miller
Master Certified Executive Leadership Coach | Linkedin Top Voice | TEDx Speaker | Linkedin Learning Author ?? Coaching Fortune 500 leaders by upgrading their MINDSET, SKILLSET + PERFORMANCE
A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit. - Arnold H. Glasow
Nowadays it seems as if every week there is some companies CEO pleading the fifth or denying accountability to why their companies epic failures are not theirs to bear but rather some unexplainable x-file that - just happened.
The sad truth is that it's the employee's who feel the brunt of the blow, not the shareholders. Sure they lose money but do they lose sleep? Their jobs? Their Security?
Leadership is the ability to inspire others to achieve shared objectives, and I think the most important word there by far is “inspire." - Jeff Weiner
After watching The Last Week With John Oliver unveil the deplorable behavior of Wells Fargo's CEO, I was left in utter shock and outrage at the smugness and overall lack of humility he displayed.
Be humble is not just essential but critical to being a successful in life period. It doesn't matter if you sit in the corner office or corner cubicle, humility is a quality that has been written about, promoted and even heralded as the number one success trait of leaders throughout time.
So much so, a recent HBR article showed that employees were more likely to report feeling a sense of purpose and inclusion when they observed altruistic or selfless behavior in their managers — a style characterized by:
- Acts of humility, such as learning from criticism and admitting mistakes
- Empowering followers to learn and develop
- Acts of courage, such as taking personal risks for the greater good
For those who are uncertain just what makes a humble CEO, Jeff Boss wrote a great article outlining the essential habits of a humble leader:
- They’re Situationally Aware
- They Retain Relationships
- They Make Difficult Decisions With Ease
- They Put Others First
- They Listen
- They Start Sentences With “You” Rather Than “I”
- They’re Curious
- They Have An Abundance Mentality
- They Take Time To Say “Thank You”
- They Speak Their Minds
I recognize this is solely my opinion based on what I know, read and experienced and that other people may have an entirely different perspective. I think it's important to remember that being humble could look like a lot of different things. For example, A CEO giving up (and back) their stock to better their employee's or publicly admitting that they made a poor business decision in service of their people and customers are two examples of how some of the people listed below have demonstrated humility.
“In the course of my life, I have often had to eat my words, and I must confess that I have always found it a wholesome diet.” ― Winston Churchill
Here is my short list of CEO's who are doing the right thing for their employees.
- Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo
- Tony Hsieh, Zappos
- Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook
- Jeff Weiner, Linkedin
- Dan Schulman, PayPal
- Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA
- Sundar Pichai, Google
- Frank Blake, (retired chairman and CEO) of Home Depot Inc.
- Tim Brown, IDEO
- Gary Vaynerchuk, VaynerMedia
- Reed Hastings, Netflix
The floor is yours: Who would you add and why?
Please leave your comment below as your insights are greatly appreciated and a learning opportunity for everyone reading this article.
With leadership, Joshua / www.JoshHMiller.com
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Other recent and popular posts from Joshua Miller: 10 Brain Hacks That Can Dramatically Improve Your Life ? 11 Ways To Spot Authentic Leadership ? 15 Things You Should Never Apologize For ? 10 Traits Highly Confident Women Exude ? How To Cultivate Happiness Like The Dalai Lama ? 5 Steps To Removing Negative People From Your Life ? 7 Phrases That Kill All Brainstorming Sessions ? 6 Reasons Why You Should Join A Mastermind Group ? How To Improve Your Executive Presence And Command A Room ? 8 Types Of Coworkers Who Can Derail Your Productivity
Overseas Education, Operations & Training Leader | Ex McDonald’s | Ex Costa Coffee | Ex Haldiram's
8 年Joshua, Humility is a rare to find attribute. In this day and age, people exhibit the highest arrogance/ego per unit of achievement. They forget that only those branches that weigh down bear the fruit. Humility connects not detracts.
Great article. Here's my one thoughts/opinion coming away from this: "humility is a quality that has been written about, promoted and even heralded as the number one success trait of leaders throughout time." Unfortunately, while it is a trait that is often praised among leaders, it is also a quality that is inversely correlated with becoming successful/reading leadership positions in the first place. Individuals who demonstrate humility and modest are most often overlooked entirely in their careers and in the professional world. In our society, we reward individuals who are self-serving, outgoing, bold, entitled, and assertive. While humility and (some of) these traits aren't mutually exclusive, they are less likely to exist together in the same person. -- FYI: "The sad truth is that it's the employee's who feel" --> employees* "critical to being a successful in life period" --> "being successful"* "my opinion based on what I know, read and experienced and that" --> know, read, experience, and that* OR have known, read, and experienced, and that* "For example, A CEO giving" --> a CEO* "to better their employee's or publicly...people and customers" --> employees, or publicly...people and customers,* ... there are others edits I'd suggest as well, but these were the ones that stood out the most. I hope this helps!
Global Executive, Leadership & Team Coach | Coach Supervisor | Mentor | Cultivates Emotional & Cultural Intelligence to Unlock Potential, Prosperity & Peace
8 年Humility is also a key essential for intercultural work. "It is impossible to NOT work interculturally!" when you consider cultural identities include gender, age, ethnicity, region, etc. Everyone needs to adjust a little, without seeing their perspective as the only "right" one. Here's my post on Painlessly Piercing the Ego: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/how-painlessly-pierce-overinflated-egos-greater-results-ma-mcc?trk=mp-reader-card
Director Learning Solutions, Talent Management & OD at Schneider Electric Greater India
8 年Well articulated Jushua ! I think humility is a very foundation of all other qualities of effective leadership. In fact I strongly believe that this is one of the most fundamental qualities for being a good human being ... and you can not be a good professional or leader unless he/she is a good human being.
Vice President, Technical Services
8 年Good article Josh, I would say this also applies to political candidates, enough said on that.....