The Humble Path to Effective Leadership: Embracing Openness, Learning, and Growth
When I see the word “humility,” the first thing that comes to mind is someone who’s not afraid to say, “I don’t know.” Saying these three words, for some, is hard. Many view this as a more straightforward way of saying, while I should know, I don’t, and now you know I don’t; ergo, you may question my leadership ability. However, research over the past decade has shown that humility is a crucial quality of leaders who can motivate employees to deliver strong performance. Bradley Owens, Professor of Business Ethics at Brigham Young University, led research that showed teams with leaders ranked as more humble performed better.
For many leaders, admitting you don’t know something is damn hard. Indeed, there are specific leadership positions where you should know what’s going on, why something happened, or how [insert issue] could have been prevented. However, let’s roll this back and note that this article is not about CEO’s or VP positions. No, this is for management or senior management positions and those on their way to said levels.
While working our way up an organization’s ladder, we’re often struck with awe at how some people seem to know everything there is to know about this business. However, we don’t see countless hours of self-study or moments of humility when they admit their lack of knowledge and use those opportunities to gain the necessary experience. Not everyone is willing to say they don’t know something. For some, it’s more practical, if not easier, to ‘save face’ than admit their knowledge flaws. This reluctance to acknowledge gaps in understanding can stem from various factors, such as fear of appearing incompetent, a desire to maintain a perception of authority or a misguided belief that leaders should have all the answers. However, this mindset can be detrimental to personal growth and effective leadership.
“If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are.”
Mother Teresa
The Importance of Humility in Leadership
Humility is essential for effective leadership. It enables leaders to remain open-minded, receptive to new ideas, and committed to continuous learning. A humble leader acknowledges their limitations and actively seeks diverse perspectives, creating an environment where innovation and growth can thrive.
Openness to New Ideas and Feedback
Have you ever worked for someone, be it your first job, in the military, or perhaps today, who is set in their way of doing business? The “it’s my way or the highway” mindset comes to mind. While this is expected if preparing to raid and capture a building with hostages, the same doesn’t translate well to a team that’s working to figure out the best way to capture customer data to improve their services.
The difference between these two situations is the level of fluidity that a leader can allow. In the first, the elite team, whose mission is to bring hostages back alive, will no doubt follow their leader’s plan to a “t,” contingencies aside. The team that wants to improve its customer service wants a leader who is open to new ideas and knows when it’s prudent to accept feedback from others.
Being a humble leader isn’t about continuously admitting you don’t know something; it’s about being receptive to diverse perspectives and constructive criticism. This input, plus one’s experience, may be all you need to keep the momentum. If you don’t know the path, you open your eyes, ears, and mind to enable outcomes that may not have been at the forefront of your mind. Thus, it is essential to make better-informed decisions and continuously improve.
Fostering a Learning Culture
If your boss, supervisor, manager, etc., were to tell you that they are taking a course on Human Psychology in the Workplace or maybe a beginner’s Excel Formulas course, what would your initial reaction be? I suspect it wouldn’t mean anything to most people until this person asks, “What about you? What are you learning?”
These have been my favorite types of people to work for. They want to learn and enjoy nothing better than watching those around them learn. They’ve always sought answers from others and let their teams be heard. Sometimes, it’s hard for a manager to see if something is broken until someone says, “Hey, this process is broken, and here’s how we should fix it.” It’s what I’d call “you don’t know what you don’t know” syndrome.
Ensure you’re engaged and asking your team or employees questions. Let them know you want to hear from them. Take their feedback in stride; some will be good, and others, not so much. And always try to address known issues publicly. If someone says in a group meeting, “The thinga-ma-jig is broken,” you should respond with, “Thank you for letting me know; let’s meet later this week and talk about how we can fix the thinga-ma-jib.” Above all else, be receptive to change. A culture of continuous learning and growth can make or break an organization.
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”
C.S. Lewis
Cultivating Humility as a Leader
Cultivating humility as a leader is a continuous journey of self-reflection, emotional intelligence, and a willingness to learn and grow. By developing self-awareness and emotional intelligence, leaders can better understand their strengths, weaknesses, and impact on others, paving the way for humble leadership. Additionally, overcoming barriers to humility, such as ego and fear of vulnerability, is crucial for leaders to effectively empower and develop their teams, fostering an environment of trust, collaboration, and shared success.
Self-Awareness and Emotional Intelligence
Imagine being able to recognize how one’s emotions affect one’s behavior (self-awareness trait). Add that to being able to fully understand and share the feelings of your colleagues (emotional intelligence trait). What you have now is the recipe for someone who can cultivate humility, that is, intentionally develop and nurture the quality of being humble within oneself (no, I didn’t make that up).
When someone is self-aware, they are considered someone who can concentrate on understanding personal character, feelings, motives, and desires. This is not something that just happens to someone. It can take years for someone to fully recognize when they are frustrated or overwhelmed and how those emotions may impact their actions and decision-making. I’m in my late forties and have just now found Stoicism and Philosophy enjoyable, which is about becoming self-aware. Once you can do that, understanding emotional intelligence (the ability to perceive, identify, understand, and manage one’s own emotions as well as the emotions of others) will seem easy.
Leading by Example
Through being an example, leaders demonstrate humility in their interactions with others. Instead of merely preaching humility (which they ought not to be doing directly anyway), they embody it through their actions and behaviors. It is done by openly admitting mistakes and taking responsibility for errors or missteps. This vulnerability shows that even those in positions of authority are human and can make mistakes, fostering an environment where others feel comfortable acknowledging their shortcomings. Additionally, humble leaders actively credit their team members for their contributions and successes, recognizing that achievements result from collective efforts rather than solely their own.
These leaders also practice active listening, genuinely seeking to understand others’ perspectives and ideas without dismissing them outright. By actively listening, leaders demonstrate respect for diverse viewpoints and a willingness to learn from those around them. Such actions lead to leaders modeling the humility they expect from their teams, inspiring others to embrace this crucial quality, and creating a culture of openness, learning, and growth within the organization.
Overcoming Barriers to Humility
Overcoming barriers to humility can be a significant challenge, as it requires confronting deeply ingrained mindsets and behaviors (often leaned through “iffy” leaders). One common barrier is the ego, which can manifest as a sense of superiority, an unwillingness to admit mistakes, or a desire to maintain a facade of infallibility. Another obstacle is the fear of vulnerability, as humility necessitates acknowledging one’s limitations and being open to feedback and criticism. Further, some may perceive humility as a weakness, associating it with a lack of confidence or assertiveness.
We can overcome these barriers through the adoption of several strategies.
- Practicing gratitude can help shift the focus from self-aggrandizement to appreciating the contributions of others, fostering a more humble perspective.
- Seeking diverse perspectives from team members, mentors, or external sources can challenge assumptions and biases, promoting a more open-minded and receptive approach.
- Crucially, leaders must reframe humility not as a weakness but as a strength — a quality that enables personal growth, builds trust, and fosters a collaborative and innovative work environment.
By embracing humility as a valuable asset, leaders can overcome or overturn the perception that it undermines their authority or competence.
Never look down on anybody unless you’re helping them up.
Jesse Jackson
Humility is indispensable for leaders who wish to inspire, empower, and drive success within their organizations. Throughout this exploration, we have seen how humble leaders foster an environment of openness, continuous learning, and growth by acknowledging their limitations and actively seeking diverse perspectives. By admitting mistakes, giving credit to others, and practicing active listening, they model the humility they expect from their teams.
When leaders reframe humility as a strength that builds trust, facilitates collaboration, and promotes innovation, they unlock a powerful personal and organizational growth force. Let us embrace this mindset, cultivate humility within our organizations, and unlock the transformative potential of truly effective leadership.
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