Leadership Principle #21 – Humility: A Quiet Power
As C.S. Lewis said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” If you want to be a truly great leader in business and in life, humility is a key ingredient in that process. It’s easy to underestimate this particular quality and even more easy to overlook the work required to develop this trait. So why is humility so important? The answer is simple: No one wants to follow an arrogant leader. It can be tempting to believe that you got to where you are today entirely by yourself. Indeed the effort you expended over the years and many successes you achieved are a result of your individual effort. However, there are so many more outside factors that played significant role in your success, including the help and support of others, along with fate, timing and luck. Here’s the truth: no one gets to the top on their own, and embracing this truth makes you humble when you realize just how interwoven your success is with the efforts of others.
Humility can be difficult but it can also be liberating. When you realize that you don’t have to prove you are the smartest one in the room, this can shift your attitude and behavior and impact how you interact with your team and subordinates. Humility inherently leads to an openness inside you which can translate into healthy dialog with others, greater self-awareness, the desire for continuous improvement and most importantly the ability to attract more followers. People are drawn to leaders who demonstrate humility because they know they will be seen and heard. They will be loyal to these leaders, and this loyalty is business GOLD.
However, cultivating humility is a life-long journey and it takes great patience to listen, be objective and empathetic. Unfortunately, the minute you think you have all the answers is the moment problems begin. I warn my clients that the longer they are in positions of leadership, the greater the risk of arrogance and the loss of humility. Humility takes practice. In fact, the more success someone has, the more they have to practice humility! This is important because arrogance will isolate you as a leader and potentially short-circuit your career success. The downside of not cultivating humility is too great to ignore and if you don’t learn it on your own, life will teach it to you by humiliation.
In my CEO coaching program, humility is an essential leadership principle and I help my clients avoid many pitfalls that face leaders in their unique situations. If you are interested in working with a CEO coach, reach out to me today for a conversation.