Humility is broadly defined as self-awareness, appreciating others’ strengths and contributions, and being open to feedback as well as new ideas. I think we could all understand why these characteristics would be desired in general. But why would these be desirable characteristics in leadership? Some may even say that humble leaders are weak leaders. In my opinion, that is the farthest thing from the truth.
As a humble leader, you are more relatable and approachable. So in turn, you create a more humanistic work environment where your employees will feel more comfortable being open with you and others, to take risks, and to show vulnerability. A humble leader is unafraid to roll his or her sleeves up and get in the trenches with his or her team and win or lose along side them.
I am sure you have worked for someone in your life that seems as though he or she has sat upon a gold throne and appeared unreachable. He or she was definitely not someone that was approachable for you. I want you to think about that leader right now and remember how he or she made you feel. Probably less than or completely out of touch, right? That person is the complete embodiment of the lack of humility and the proof of why humility in leadership is important.
The “Golden Throne” leader is the epitome of what a humble leader or one who leads with humility is not, and he or she often will never realize this during his or her “reign” of leadership. These leaders are often the ones that believe as well that humble leaders are weak leaders. Humility is a sign of strength, not weakness. This is especially true when you have a strong leader.
Why is this my opinion? I know from experience that humility in leadership feeds overall effectiveness. When leaders are not worried about taking credit for their work, innovation happens. Effective leaders know that it doesn’t matter who gets credit for what has been accomplished. You have all accomplished something amazing. An amazing leader gives credit where credit is due and sometimes, he or she, steps back, and will even highlight others.
I am often challenged about my opinion about highlighting others as some people think this makes a leader weak. In my opinion, it absolutely does not. If you are a leader and you report to another supervisor, then they will know your work. If your supervisor, the owner of the company or whomever it is, does not recognize that the reason your team is ultimately succeed is because of you. The answer is simple. Leave. There is no I in TEAM. It’s an oldie but goodie. Your team fails because of you and they win because of you. It’s that simple. That’s why humility is not weakness; it’s strength. It shows that you are confident enough in your abilities to shine light on everyone on your team. If your supervisor cannot see that, it’s his or her problem, not yours.
As you can tell, I feel strongly about humility because I personally went through some of these struggles myself. I learned in the long run that it was the way to go. It is proven that humility in leadership leads to higher rates of employee engagement, more job satisfaction (who doesn’t want to hear their team loves their job?), and lower rates of turnover.
Well, you may be thinking, thanks for all the information about humility in leadership, but how can I ensure that I am acting with humility in my leadership role? In my opinion, here are some ways that you can effectively implement humility within your current leadership role or your role in the future.
The first thing is to be self-aware as a leader. It sounds simple but I am sure we have all worked for someone at some point that seemed a bit out of touch. So what does it mean to be self-aware? You want to recognize your strengths and highlight them. You need to own your weaknesses. You will even want to identify and confront any biases you may have and didn’t realize that you had. In return, you will gain the trust of your team and increase credibility. In short, be honest and true about who you are.
You want to appreciate others. I have another blog and episode about this, so it is definitely important. However, it is always important to let your team know that they are valued. Beyond that, we already discussed credit. Giving credit where credit is due is so important. A humble leader gives credit and sometimes, is never worried about taking any credit. As a leader, know when to step back and let your team take the bow and be proud of them. Nothing would happen without them and they would not be here without you.
In my opinion, this is a tricky one for a lot of leaders and this is why being a humble leader is important. You must be open to feedback and constructive criticism. You may not always agree with everyone’s feedback. After all, we all have our own opinions. However, you don’t know it all. In fact, I know the best leaders believe they know very little and trust their teams to inform them of a great deal. Be open, trust your teams, and accept feedback. You will grown, learn, and your team will respect the hell out of you.
You need to know when to admit your mistakes. Leaders who are humble or act with humility understand this concept. Admitting that you made a mistake doesn’t make you weak; it makes you strong. The fact that you can stand in front of your team and say that, but then roll up your sleeves and look at them and say, “OK, how are we going to do this differently?” That’s strength. That’s creating a humanistic bond and respect. Admit your mistakes and build your relationships; you are learning just like your team.
I believe that you should never ask a single person to do anything that you would never do. I believe in this wholeheartedly and I know that a leader that acts with humility knows this without a doubt. I live this myself to this day.
I remember when I was first starting my corporate career and I had absolutely no help with shipment. I was creating this tradeshow program from the ground up and there was simply no budget sometimes for shipment but shows would get approved. Well, I would go down into this disgusting, dirt infested lot at the back of the warehouse (we were the stepchild for sure) and pack each box myself. Employees at corporate would give me funny looks when I returned as I would be covered in dust. There was one time when several shows were added, and I had no clothes left (the corporate office was in Maryland and I lived in Georgia) but I had to extend my stay to get these boxes out. I had no budget for temps and I had to do it. I was in dirty clothes because I had been there for over a week and they were gym clothes. One of the VP called me in his office and told me my clothing was inappropriate (my shirt was completely covered in dirt from all the work and I was now wear shorts because the warehouse was over 110 degrees). He told me that he was concerned because I was working down in the warehouse and I might attract the wrong attention from “those type of workers” and he didn’t want that for me. I told him that I felt completely comfortable down there and they treated me perfectly fine. I told him that he was the only one that noticed, and in addition, if he didn’t want me wearing that type of clothing down there then he should provide air conditioning, additional budget, and more temporary workers for shifts. I did not hear about that again and my boss at the time (God love her) thought it was hilarious.
The point is I put in the blood, sweat, and tears, and I earned the respect of every person in that building and company. That followed me wherever I went because of where I came from and that doesn’t leave you when you come from a place of humility. Having humility as a leader is important and crucial to the effectiveness of your business and your team. However, humility shows that you are more than a boss or a supervisor by title because a title is just that… a title…it proves that you are a leader.
