Humility and Leadership

From the Desk of CSM Thompson

Good afternoon and it’s time for another one of my periodic leadership rants. Today’s topic is going to be about humility.

Everyone knows that I did not have the privilege to serve in the federal forces. No active duty, reserve or National Guard time. But over the years I have had the opportunity to train with some of the toughest people in the nation. Navy SEALs, Green Berets, Recon Marines and Pararescue. On my day job I have worked with SWAT personnel from local, state and federal law enforcement. In the last 40 plus years, I have trained with some of the most proven, lethal and capable people in the world. They are true “alphas”. But they are also some of the humbe people I have ever come across. Most of these guys never told me what they did or what they were capable of. Instead, when the time came, they showed me. They were the epitome of the “quiet professional.”

A perfect example was when I was in ALERRT instructor school. As the instructors introduced themselves, they told us who they were and went over their backgrounds; Special Operations in the military, years of SWAT time, etc. Then we got to the last instructor. He was a thin guy of average height. In a very soft voice, he introduced himself by his first name only. The then said he did “some things” for a major Texas Police Department, and that’s all. After I completed the training, I talked to a friend that worked for that department. When I asked about my instructor, my friend proceeded to tell me that he was a legend in the department, especially on the SWAT Team. My friend spent 10 minutes telling me about this guy’s exploits. But he just said that he did “some things” with his agency. That is humility.

Jim Collins wrote a book called Good to Great. In that book he identified two common traits of CEOs that made their companies extremely successful. Those two traits were humility and an indomitable will to advance the cause of the organization. This rant will only cover the first of the traits, humility. The term "humility" comes from the Latin word humilitas, a noun related to the adjective humilis, which may be translated as "humble", but also as "grounded", or "from the earth", since it derives from humus (earth). In this rant, I will be utilizing both humility and humble to describe a person that portrays modesty.

As leaders, we need to remember that humility is paramount. Nobody likes the guy that thinks he is the smartest person in the room. A leader with humility realizes they don’t need to be. They understand that they can capitalize on the strengths of their team to get to mission accomplishment. Humble leaders encourage input from everyone, even the most junior person on the team. Many times those with the least experience will have good ideas because they are not jaded from years of doing “the same thing.” Additionally, when the person that thinks he’s the smartest one starts talking, others are prone to stop listening.

I have touched on humility in a few of my past rants. In the rant from 26 February 2024, I talked about helping with humility. This should be a primary trait of anyone who joins the Texas State Guard. We are here to assist the people of Texas in what could be the worst times of their lives. When we arrive and do whatever task we are assigned, we need to be doing it out of the desire to help people. We don’t need to be looking for pats on the back, “attaboys” or accolades. We should be doing it because it’s the right thing to do. The same is true when we, as leaders, help one of our subordinates, peers or those of higher rank. We shouldn’t seek recognition for what we do, because that shouldn’t matter. What matters is that we are assisting someone that needs that assistance.

Many people think that people who exhibit humility are weak, passive, or subservient. They are not. Psychologists say that humility is linked to other qualities such as sincerity, modesty and truthfulness. Humble leaders are the people that just want to go about their business with no fanfare. They can be quiet and unassuming but don’t mistake that with someone that can be run over. That is a surefire way to get an unpleasant surprise.

People in leadership roles that exhibit humility have some common characteristics. While the list is much longer, I will cover a few.

1. Credit others. When the team does something good or an idea helps to accomplish the goal, the humble leader gives the credit to the team member or members that made it happen. They do not take the credit for the success.

2. Accept responsibility. A leader with humility not only credits others for success, but they accept responsibility for their team’s failure. Many leaders want to point fingers when something goes wrong instead of standing up and saying this failure is on me.

3. Admit mistakes. The leader with humility will be the first to admit they made a mistake. They will take ownership of the mistake and will not try to deflect it on others. They will also use the mistake as a learning opportunity. A way to make themselves better.

4. Accept constructive feedback. People have a hard time being told they did something wrong. They want to argue and again deflect. A humble leader will take the feedback as exactly what it is, a way to help make themselves better. It goes back to the previous point.

5. Strive to overcome weakness. We all have things we need to get better at. A humble leader will do what they can to recognize these shortcomings and do whatever they can to turn the weakness into a strength.

6. Help others. I often ask personnel why they joined the Texas State Guard. I then tell them that if they are not in the organization to help the people of the great state of Texas in times of need and to help their fellow Service Members then they are wrong. This organization is all about helping others. We all know that during hurricane season, we can be called at any time to head out and help with the recovery of an effected area. As a leader, you must also be ready to help those team members that are in need. This could be something as simple as welcoming a new troop into the unit and showing them the ropes. It can be difficult for someone just coming out of BOT to find their way in the organization. Leaders with humility are those that see someone who may be out of their element and do what they can to help them assimilate to the culture of the organization.

7. Admit ignorance. A leader with humility will have the strength to admit when they don’t know something and be open to learning from others, even those that the leader outranks.

I have talked quite a bit about humility because it is important. But at the same time, you need to make sure that you are not TOO humble. Some leaders take humility to the extreme and this can be a problem. Sometimes people think leaders that exercise humility are indecisive. I wrote earlier about how a humble leader takes suggestions from everyone including the most junior person on the team. This doesn’t always mean that they will accept those suggestions. The leader may take all, part or none of the suggestions from the team. This doesn’t mean that the suggestions are necessarily bad or wrong. There are also times when the decision needs to be made immediately. There are times that even the most humble person needs to make the decision and then stick with it. This is where taking responsibility comes in.

On 5 June 1944, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote “In Case of Failure”, a message for public release drafted in case the D-Day invasion was to fail. The message read, “Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.” If the invasion failed, General Eisenhower could have blamed it on his planners, the weather, equipment or the men carrying out the invasion. He did not. He exercised humility and took responsibility for the failure. Luckily for history, the invasion was successful, and he never had to release that message. But he was prepared just in case.

Don't get me wrong. In every organization there were always blustering loudmouths. This is true with my interactions with those “alphas” I talked about in the beginning of this rant. There were always those SEALs, Green Berets, Pararescue troops and SWAT operators that spent a lot of time talking about what they did, and how it made whatever operation(s) they were part of successful. Many made it sound like if they weren’t there, it would have failed. When talking to other personnel on the operation, the story was completely different. Those that did the “chest thumping” were normally outcasts in their own peer group. Yes, the group did have to work with this guy because he was part of the team, but they treated them differently. In many cases it was their own arrogance that ended up being the reason they did not stay with the team very long.

Leaders must be charismatic and at times they may need to show some “over the top” attributes to ensure mission success. But this must be tempered by the humility that all successful leaders must possess. Nobody wants to work with or for a big mouth, self-aggrandizing, rank chasing jerk. Outstanding leaders believe in the “people first” concept and will always place their team’s welfare before their personal needs when making decisions. As the NCO Creed says, “I know my Soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own.” A leader should always try to “Treat others with kindness, courtesy and respect.” But leaders must also be prepared to flip the script when needed. While it is hard for anyone to exhibit humility all the time, it is a trait that all leaders must strive to achieve. One more thing, and I have said this many times. In order to be a leader with humility, you need to KEEP YOUR EGO OUT OF IT.

That brings me to the end of this leadership rant. I will end this rant the same way I end all of them, with that advice from my father: MISSION, MEMBERS, ME.