Leading With A Humble Heart

There are many checkpoints that we pass along our respective leadership journeys. Humility is one of those checkpoints I seek to observe. Webster’s Dictionary describes humility as “freedom from pride or arrogance.” Freedom is a key word in this definition. That is because, as leaders, we can easily become a captive to seeing ourselves as infallible or as having all the answers. Leaders do not and cannot have all the answers. We must possess a teachable spirit and a willingness to admit mistakes and accept guidance. These are all elements of humility that free us from self-adulation.

I received a real-life lesson in the true meaning of humility while I was still early in my leadership journey. Mark was a well-decorated Marine Corps Major who served in both World War II and the Korean War. A Major commands as many as two hundred Marines. After retiring from the Marine Corps, he had subsequently started a successful construction company and then retired again. When I encountered Mark, he had become a part-time visitor center staff person at the destination marketing organization MO) I was leading at the time. He had no reason to work other than wanting to still serve in some meaningful capacity. He took his role as an ambassador and community concierge very seriously. The organization also relied on him in shaping our efforts to recruit military reunions.

I met Mark about the same time a movie about a fictional Marine Corps officer premiered. It was, A Few Good Men, one of my all-time favorite films. The antagonist, Jack Nicholson played a Marine Corps officer named Colonel Nathan Jessup. He personified arrogance and an objectionable and obnoxious condescending nature. While the character Nicholson portrayed had a stellar military career and was still serving with distinction, he allowed his accolades and notoriety to cloud his vision. His attitude was his undoing. My friend and colleague, Mark, was the antithesis of Colonel Jessup.

Mark had achieved remarkable success in wartime as an aviator in a Marine Fighter Squadron named VMF-422, also known as the Flying Buccaneers. The squadron’s aircraft was the Vought F4U Corsair. Mark’s aircraft had been shot down in the Pacific in World War II. ?He survived in the Pacific Ocean until he was rescued and sadly several others in his squadron did not survive. He spoke about that experience in such vivid terms and his demeanor clearly showed the sorrow he felt in losing fellow Marines. Mark was the epitome of a hero.

I was in my mid-thirties at the time and thought I was doing well for myself, and more than a little cocky. But despite my youth and my arrogance, Mark still called me boss. I wondered how a man with so many accolades and who served his country with distinction in two wars could humble himself to a wet-behind-the-ears emerging leader who was less than half his age. But he willingly accepted direction from me. It was because he had a humble heart. I am not sure if Mark had always been that way, but he had clearly settled into his authentic humility by the time I met him.

Another way that Mark exhibited a servant’s heart of humility was his single-handed determination in creating a monument that honored members of all the branches of the Armed Forces that were not regularly remembered. As an aviator, he often spoke of the ground crew who performed tasks like preparing meals or packing parachutes for him and his fellow squadron members. As is the case with many professions, the behind-the-scenes support workers are often ignored. His construction background allowed him to conceive, design and construct the monument with donations and his own personal resources. Mark demonstrated humility by not seeking credit for the work involved in constructing the monument and for willingly seeking to honor those who had no ability to repay him. The monument was posthumously renamed in his honor.

When we, as seasoned leaders, do not demonstrate the leadership trait of humility, we do our younger mentees a terrible disservice. It is impractical to always position ourselves as the ultimate and immutable authority on a subject. As leaders, we should be willing to believe there is a better way. And I have found that many of those younger associates want to contribute and to have their own ideas and suggestions considered.

Humility is not a weakness, but instead a quiet and unheralded strength. It is foundational for us to develop as leaders, regardless of our level of experience. Practicing humility may make us seem vulnerable, however, that level of authenticity that comes with vulnerability can resonate with our team members, particularly younger ones. Leading with a humble heart matters as we continue along our leadership journey.