The best leaders are humble.
Jeanine Prime and Elizabeth Salib include this research finding in their HBR article, “The Best Leaders Are Humble Leaders.”
“In a survey of more than 1500 workers from Australia, China, Germany, India, Mexico, and the U.S., we found that when employees observed altruistic or selfless behavior in their managers — a style characterized by 1) acts of humility, such as learning from criticism and admitting mistakes); 2) empowering followers to learn and develop; 3) acts of courage, such as taking personal risks for the greater good; and 4) holding employees responsible for results — they were more likely to report feeling included in their work teams. This was true for both women and men.”
Humble leaders concentrate on getting the job done. Humble leaders help their people grow and develop. So it makes sense to develop humble leaders, but there’s a problem.
Humility fights the culture of leadership.
Our culture reveres the action-oriented, take-charge leader. Think about the last movie or TV show you saw that portrayed a leader. The odds are pretty good that he or she was “large and in charge,” telling others what to do.
We need humble leaders more than ever.
Humble leaders have always been effective, but now we need humble leaders more than ever. On the 19th Century factory floor, it was possible for some leaders to know more than anyone else. Those days are long gone. In today’s knowledge economy, even on the factory floor, knowledge is much more evenly distributed.
Humility is the leadership development challenge.
Today, developing humble leaders may be the most important leadership development challenge. That means helping leaders learn to step back and let knowledge and ideas emerge. It also means helping developing leaders master the art of asking questions, instead of directing activities. Are we up to that challenge?
Helpful Articles on Humility and Leadership
From Mary Jo Asmus: What does a humble leader do?
“Being humble is important because it takes the focus of attention away from you and puts it right where it belongs: on others and the greater good of the organization. Humility is marked by an open mind and heart. A humble leader is approachable and genuinely cares about others. A humble leader wants the greater good to be served and works tirelessly to assure that those who are responsible for the work are taken care of, encouraged, and rewarded.”
“Ah, humility! Such a wonderful virtue and yet hard to pin down.”
From Lillian Cunningham: The art of leading scientists
“More than a year ago, I sat down with Francis Collins—director of the National Institutes of Health—to ask about his views on leadership. We haven’t published his reflections until now, but it’s perhaps a testament to the timelessness of his insights that they are just as compelling to read today as they were to hear in our initial conversation.”
