HUMILITY IS A SUPERPOWER.
Whatever our title, position, or job description may be, there is something we should always strive for. Something that, like empathy, is most often misunderstood. Something that is practiced in sincerity and consistency, will have a hugely positive impact on our professional and personal lives. That something is humility.?
Many think of humility as either weakness, or an affectation put on to manipulate situations, or people. The reality is that humility is completely different. It’s a superpower. It’s the mark of a strong leader who has learned to tame their ego and their need to prove themselves. It transcends skills, qualifications, and status.?
Here’s what genuine humility looks like:
So, why is it so important to have these attributes?
The answer is simple. Someone with genuine humility doesn’t minimize their own experience, skills or talents. Nor do they minimize these in others. They are confident, but will readily admit that they don’t ‘know it all’ and make mistakes on occasion. They are masters at preserving relationships, inspiring confidence in their integrity, and building team unity.? They ask for help and give help when necessary. They aren’t dogmatic, or arrogant. They don’t see themselves as ‘better’ or more deserving than others.
Can humility be trained, or learned?
Yes it can. It requires only a desire to possess it, or being encouraged to develop it by the example of another.?
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How can leaders practice humility with their teams?
When teams are either on-site, hybrid, or remote, we adjust our methods of communication accordingly. The same thing applies to humility. When in person, we have the physical communication in addition to spoken words. When hybrid, or remote, we have different advantages.
The best way to explain this is by describing how communication (and humility) work in an Optevo WorkPod.?
An Optevo WorkPod is a digital ‘pod’ which includes:
Participants quickly learn to communicate clearly.? With conversations in full view of all participants, words are chosen more carefully.?
When a miscommunication, or disagreement happens, (because we’re all human!) things can be clarified, resolved and rectified in a civil and neutral manner. Potential conflicts are more easily diffused as others weigh in to assist in clarifying, asking further questions, or adding additional insights.
Although leaders can practice humility either in person or remotely, I am inclined to think it can be more easily modeled in a WorkPod.?
An empathetic leader instills calm and reason, eliminates finger-pointing, ego-fueled arrogance, or heat-of-the-moment arguments, while keeping team unity front and center. Measured and considered words in an open written conversation are easier communicated, than spoken in the midst of conflict.
As the leader models this kind of thoughtful, caring humility, team members begin to see the advantages, and be more willing to emulate. This levels the playing field for all team members to participate in a psychologically safe environment and without being overshadowed by any other member. This promotes engagement and productivity.
#Humility #WorkManagement
Fractional Chief of Staff | Strategic Advisor | Empowering CEOs/Founders to Design Human-Centered Organizations and Achieve Personal + Performance Excellence | Open to Fractional Chief of Staff Roles
3 个月Great article Andre Williams and I love how Optevo sets teams up for greater success. Very interesting to note that humility in leadership creates psychological safety for their teams. But before they can create it for their teams they must be self-aware and creating it for themselves. What do I mean - ego responses arise out of fear (most often subconscious fears). So unless a leader has done a lot of inner work they will not even be aware of their Ego responses. And pointing them out will often further fuel the fear response thru defensiveness or worse retaliation. So to your question can humility be trained? IMO it doesn’t have to be trained. It’s a being state that we can all tap into but we must first become aware of all the false beliefs and fears that prevent us from being humble. So their is work (training) to be done but its not as simple as Humility. Leaders have to be willing to dig into all the reasons they don’t feel psychologically safe within themselves. Unlearning their false beliefs that triggers the Ego responses.
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3 个月Keeping team unity front and center models thoughtful caring humility, and promotes engagement. I love that, Andre
Award-Winning Author, The Canary Code | Professor, Organizational Psychology & Business | Speaker | Culture | HR | Inclusion | Belonging | Wellbeing | ?? Moral Injury | Neurodiversity | Autism @ Work | Global Diversity |
3 个月I could not love this more! Thank you. Humility is a much-needed virtue, and we need it now more than ever!
The Myth Slayer?? Transformational Coach for Attorneys ?? 2x TEDx Speaker ?? Ignite Rebirth, Inspiration, & Bold Impact ?? I Want Your Future to Be EPIC!
3 个月Andre Williams LOVE THIS! You are absolutely correct; it can be taught, and very much practiced. One thing that is hidden behind what you said, but for some may need to be explicitly stated, is that humility also puts you in a position where people who really are better at something than you are to step up and go beyond — accelerating everything you need to achieve bigger goals. Not only that, but people will usually go above and beyond for those they view as humble (and, in an associated behavior, showing appreciation); where as those not viewed as humble usually receive only the bare minimum in exchange for what they’ve provided. For that alone, humility is WELL worth practicing.