Humility and Personal Power

"Humility like darkness reveals the heavenly lights."

One of the most important yet misunderstood qualities of a leader is humility. The words of Henry David Thoreau state it simply: "Humility like darkness reveals the heavenly lights." Contrary to notions of intimidatingly proud men and women assuming the high positions of society, a leader should be humble, believing herself to be no better or worse than those she leads. Reading through an article from Harvard Business Review titled “How Will You Measure Your Life?” by Clayton Christensen, the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, I came across a new understanding of humility, “defined not by self-deprecating behavior or attitudes but by the esteem with which you regard others.” Christensen explains the manner in which good behavior flows naturally from such a state of humility, and I am reminded of the various great historical figures I know who have demonstrated this virtue, this immense love and respect for others. I am also reminded of the work that remains to be done on myself before I can become one of them.

Firstly, I wish to train myself to be humbler. I yearn to experience that moment of enlightenment, the selfless realization of the interconnectedness of my life with that of others. Achieving this internal shift is by no means easy, as demonstrated by the transformational stories of influential global health leaders like Jacqueline Novogratz, Paul Farmer, and Peter Piot. These individuals all have something in common. They have an attitude that is like a flowing spring. Power comes out from the center of them. They contain a well of water within them that springs up into everlasting life and radiates force. The principle of power in them is in constant motion because they are self-active. Most of all, they exhibit humility, the key ingredient of leadership. They know how to form connections with those who are very different from themselves. They have convinced themselves of the greatness and worth of all humanity. This state of mind is truly a gift, and it is something that we should all aspire to. It is something that we should each incorporate into our personal ethics.

In addition to the value they place upon others, they place great value upon themselves. They are overflowing with the belief that they are efficacious individuals who are capable of instigating change in the strange, tumultuous world we live in. They carry themselves as “gods among gods.” Their high self-esteem bathes them in a perpetual “can-do” spirit, which aids them in overcoming all doubt and fear. It helps them see the truth where others are misled by appearances. It gives them wings to boldly rise above the crowd when the crowd’s beliefs are unethical, wrongfully assumed to be right. Their high self-regard, as well as their belief that they and others are worth much more, helps them gather the courage that is needed to face criticism without flinching. They have trained themselves to never let go of their self-esteem regardless of what others say or do.

It is time for me to criticize myself. My faltering self-esteem is my conundrum. It is the aspect of myself that needs the most work. As an undergraduate student at a notoriously competitive university, I found myself battered left and right. I came to a point of no longer trusting or believing in myself. There were days on which I desired to give up, thinking I was unworthy of greatness. I was overcome with the belief that there would always be others who were better than me. There would always be someone else more worthy of recognition for their service to society.

Thinking about the high levels of self-doubt I have faced, I realize that I must change my ways. It is not about me. It is about the people who need my help. Rather than focus on myself and the toxicity of the competition that I will always be surrounded with, I choose to focus on the people who are suffering around the world in front of my very eyes. When I consider the destitution in places like my family’s country of origin, Bangladesh, I am forced to think of myself as worthy of making a change because if I do not, the suffering of my people will continue. I must try as hard as I can to remove the hurt of others and replace it with hope and happiness. My first step towards achieving this goal is to value myself as a leader, perfectly capable of helping the unconditionally worthy members of my human family.