Leadership & Humility

Editor’s note: my last week’s message is a lesson in humility, especially when it comes to touting the SEC and them in the NCAA Men’s basketball tourney. Eesh. All opinions expressed in that message are my own. There’s still [a glimmer of] hope.

Every leader knows a healthy dose of humility goes a long way in fostering a healthy and trusting team and a culture of learning that comes with hard work. In the end, being humble means that leaders aren’t afraid to admit when they are wrong or make mistakes – it is a time to see errors as opportunities for growth and learning. It means that leaders also see others having strengths and room for opportunity, thus treating them with kindness, empathy, and respect.

Confidence and Humility homeostasis

Being humble doesn’t mean lacking confidence. Quite the opposite. These two traits collaborate. This means that humble leaders are more likely to seek input from their team during discussions and value their myriad of perspectives. It is a time to troubleshoot and build individual confidence in seeking alternatives and decisions. From there, confidence grows because the team can trust the leader to take the helm into the next phase, step, or project with ease. This also means the leader can anticipate when an employee approaches them for a decision, they have all the confidence that the employee has done everything they can to that point and is now seeking them out for final guidance.

Humility and Leadership require the constant journey to learn. To be curious and open-minded which are essential for growth, flexibility, and being an adaptive leader. Part of this learning journey requires that leaders be humble because in that space, the leader can recognize and acknowledge gaps in learning and seek ways to improve – for the team, for the project, and yes, for themselves.

In 2022, MasterClass at Work presented ways to practice humility in the workplace:

Ask questions. Active listening and asking questions are ways of practicing humility; it shows you are curious about proposed solutions and want to hear your staff members’ ideas.

Encourage new ideas. Humble leaders keep an open mind to new systems and processes employees present to improve working conditions and structures. Leaders should flesh out these ideas and contemplate them.

Practice compassion. Follow the golden rule and treat others how you would like to be treated. Emotional intelligence, good humor, and?self-awareness?will all help make you a humble leader.

[Sidebar] In my years of teaching leadership to leaders, I often would challenge the golden rule. I would ask leaders do you want to treat others the way YOU want to be treated as in the golden rule? Or follow the platinum rule? Treat others the way you have learned THEY want to be treated!

Prioritize learning. When leaders prioritize learning, they?communicate?to their teams that everyone has room for curiosity and growth. Leaders should check in, and in cases, offer professional development opportunities, so employees have a chance to learn and thrive.

Take responsibility. Those in leadership roles should take responsibility when something goes wrong—sometimes even if it is an employee error. This absorption of blame shows grace and prevents managers from leading with anger.

Life is a long lesson in humility. Join me on this journey.

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