The power of humility

THE POWER OF

HUMILITY

Leading With Humility

Why humility?

• Jim Collin’s “Level 5 leaders” are humble,

but iron willed, ambitious for the

organization but not necessarily for

themselves (Hayes & Comer, 2010, p.3)

• Stone & Patterson’s (2005) research

revealed that humility is one of the

behaviors of the servant leader, which

they describe as: “A humble means for

affecting follower behavior.”

Humility through the ages

Shedd says, “One of the most difficult

challenges for any leader is to remain

humble in light of the success that the

leader has achieved.”

Bill Gates said: “Success is a lousy teacher.

It seduces people into thinking they cannot

lose.”

Shedd, D. (2011). David Shedd’s blog. Business Insider, April 1, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com

Marshall Goldsmith in What Got You Here Won’t Get You

There, defines 21 stupid things that leaders need to stop

doing now. The root cause of virtually all of these

behaviors is the ego of the leader.

1. The ego that tells the leader that he knows everything

and is always right.

2. The ego that tells the leader that she is better than the

others who are subordinate.

3. The ego that tells the leaders that he does not need to

play by the rules.

Shedd, David (2011). David Shedd’s blog. Business Insider, April 1, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com

The question of humility has been a

leadership issue through the ages:

• Ancient China: “The great leader speaks

little. He works without self-interest and

leaves no trace. When all is finished, the

people say: ‘we did it ourselves.’”

~ Lao Tzu

• Ancient Greece: The Ancient Greeks had

a word for the loss of humility and the

triumph of the ego: hubris. Hubris is the

outrageous arrogance where a person in

power overestimates his or her own

competence and capabilities, gradually

loses touch with reality and (in Greek

tragedies) succumbs to a tragic fall.

• Ancient Rome: “To conquer one’s spirit,

abandon anger, and be modest in victory .

. . Whoever can do this I compare not to

the greatest of men but to a god.”

~Cicero

• Mongol World around 1200: “The key to

leadership is self-control: primarily, the

mastery of pride, which is more difficult to

subdue than a wild lion.”

~Genghis Khan

• Louis XIV France: “Louis’s greatest gift

was to maintain his quality of common

sense in the midst of constant flattery.

Throughout, the king demanded respect

and obedience, not flattery.”

~Louis XIV biographer, Olivier Bernier

• 18th Century Austria: To keep herself

humble and ensure that she did what was

right and best for Austria-Hungarian

Empire, the Archduchess Maria Teresa

employed one advisor as her official critic.

It was the formal job of Emmanuel Count

Sylva-Tarouca to tell Maria Teresa all of

her mistakes.

• 20th Century America: “To possess self-

confidence and humility at the same time

is called maturity.”

~Jack Welch

Conclusion:

As a leader, your success comes about

from the success of others. Maintaining

humility allows you to better keep your

focus where it needs to be, directed

outwards towards your team and your

customers.

Ken Blanchard

“People with humility do not think less of

themselves; they just think about

themselves less.”

Leadership Quality: Humility

Kenneth Boa in “Leadership Qualities: Humility”

It’s humbling to recognize that God is more

responsible for the achievements of our lives

than we are, that we are people who have been

given our abilities, time and opportunities.

These things are not our possession; they are

gifts from God and we will ultimately give an

account for what we do with what we have been

given.

Jim Collins

The most powerfully transformative

executives possess a paradoxical mixture

of personal humility and professional will.

They are timid and ferocious. Shy and

fearless. They are rare—and unstoppable.

Collins, Jim (2001, Jan.). Level 5 leadership: The triumph of humility and fierce resolve.

Harvard Business Review (Reprint).

Jim Collins

The Yin and Yang of Level 5 Leadership

PERSONAL HUMILITY PROFESSIONAL WILL

Demonstrates a compelling modesty, shunning

public adulation; never boastful.

Creates superb results, a clear

catalyst in transition from good to great.

Acts with quiet, calm determination; relies

principally on inspired standards not

inspiring charisma, to motivate.

Demonstrates unwavering resolve

to do whatever must be done to produce

the best long-term results, no matter how difficult.

Channels ambition into company, not the self;

sets up successors for even more

greatness in the next generation.

Sets the standard

of building an enduring great

company; will settle for nothing less.

Looks in the mirror, not out the window, to

apportion responsibility for poor results,

never blaming other people,

External factors or bad luck.

Looks out the window,

not in the mirror, to apportion credit

for success of the company—to other

people, external factors, and good luck.

Collins, Jim (2001, Jan.). Level 5 leadership: The triumph of humility and fierce resolve.

Harvard Business Review (Reprint).

The Payoff of Humble Leadership

Armour lists the following 8 dividends of

humble leadership:

1. Humility lets us dismiss concerns about

being the center of attention, so that we

can step aside and let others shine.

People don’t tent to trust people who

insist on taking all the credit or hogging

the spotlight.

Armour, Mike (2007). Humility an leadership: No laughing matter. LeaderPerfect

Newsletter, Aug. 15, 2007. Retrieved from http://leaderperfect.com/newsletter

2. Humility leaves us open to what others

can teach us, no matter what their station

in life. As a result we learn and develop

wisdom more quickly, because we let

everyone be our mentor.

Armour, M. (2007). Humility an leadership: No laughing matter. LeaderPerfect

3. Humility lets us treat even difficult people

with such respect that we help them feel

worthwhile. People do not typically invest

their trust in someone who makes them

feel invisible or insignificant.

Armour, M. (2007). Humility an leadership: No laughing matter. LeaderPerfect

4. Humility preserves a spirit of gratitude. A

spirit of gratitude does more than perhaps

any other character trait to keep our outlook

on life positive and healthy. Sensing this,

people are unlikely to put great trust in a

leader who is ungrateful, for (unconsciously,

at least) they realize that ingratitude is a sign

of other character flaws.

5. Humility allows us to confront our own

failings and take valuable lessons from

them. Nothing is more harmful to trust

than a leader who lives in denial or who

never learns from things done poorly.

6. Humility allows us to be more patient with

those who are still learning and thus

prone to mistakes. We see in them a

reflection of our own need to learn and

improve. Appropriate patience is critical

in building trust, for impatience breeds

anxiety and even fear among those we

lead, the very antithesis of trust.

7. Humility makes us approachable and

receptive to being held accountable.

Leaders who hold others accountable

must be open and willing to be held

accountable themselves. Otherwise, a

double standard is at work that is inimical

to trust.

8. Humility keeps our curiosity alive. Aware

of how much we don’t know, recognizing

that we have our own pattern of blind

spots, we are eager to explore and learn.

After all, people don’t normally trust

“know-it-alls.”

Start With Humility

What Humility Is…

• Humanness

• Vulnerability

• Ability to keep one’s

accomplishments in

perspective

• The soil that grows

effective leaders

What Humility Is Not…

• Not weakness

• Not lack of confidence

• Not low self-esteem

• Not absence of ego

• Not a lack of

assertiveness, ambition,

or speaking out

The Humility Dynamic

Humanness/

Authenticity

Humble

Behavior

Trust and

Respect

Inspired

Followers+ =Results

Biblical Humility and Leadership

1 Kings 21:27-29, NKJV

27 So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that

he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his

body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went

about mourning.

28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the

Tishbite, saying, 29 "See how Ahab has humbled

himself before Me? Because he has humbled

himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in

his days. In the days of his son I will bring the

calamity on his house."

Pride Vs Humility

Prov 29:23, NKJV

23 A man's pride will bring him low,

But the humble in spirit will retain honor.

Pride and Humility

James 4:6, NKJV

6 …"God resists the proud, but gives grace

to the humble.“

James 4:10

10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the

Lord, and He will lift you up.

The power of humility

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