The Power of Humility

How Being Humble Can Help You Succeed in Life

Anthony Ekanem

• Publisher: Anthony Ekanem
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9783963132858
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Self Improvement

Words have enormous power. They can make us erupt into laughter or bring tears to our eyes. They can influence, inspire, manipulate and shock. They can build, and they can destroy.Some words have different effects on different people. One such word is humility. It is one of those words that are seldom in neutral gear. Some, like me, love the word and all it stands for. Some almost fear it and interpret it synonymously with lack of self-confidence or timidity. Humility is one of the virtues often mentioned in our everyday life.But what is humility? And is it a virtue? The dictionary defines humility as modesty, lacking pretence, not believing that you are superior to others. An ancillary definition includes: "Having a lowly opinion of oneself, meekness".An interesting dichotomy is that, often, the higher people rise, the more they have accomplished, the higher the humility index. Those who achieve the most brag the least, and the more secure they are in themselves, the more humble they are.There is also an understated humility of everyday people we work with who have the ability to get the job done without drawing attention to themselves. Witness the employee who is working at his computer into the late hours, purely motivated by a keen sense of duty, the executive assistant who stays after 5: 30pm on a Friday night in an empty office to await a courier, or the manager who quietly cancels an important personal event to fly out of town to attend to the company's business. This is akin to the philanthropist who gives an anonymous donation.In this book, we will take a critical look at the subject matter of humility, the false assumptions people often make regarding it, and how it is an important quality for everyone to have. We will also provide you tips on how to exercise humility in your everyday life. Happy reading!

Chapter 4

Humility and Leadership

While the religious tradition still holds true in modern society, humility is not only viewed through the religious lens. Humility has become a central theme in discussions about leadership as well.

The popular notion has long been that you have to step up and be a bit boastful in order to get ahead. Big sporting stars like Cristiano Ronaldo and Cam Newton talk about their own abilities with pride and arrogance. There are also leaders, such as Donald Trump, who focus on their greatness. These types of leaders highlight what they’ve done and achieved, boasting about their past and future accomplishments.

But is humility a bad quality on leaders? If we examine it through science, the evidence is starting to be evident: humility makes you a better leader. In a study by the University of Maine, researchers found that “humility was the most strongly linked (personality trait) with helpfulness”. Furthermore, the study found that humility didn’t just make people more helpful, but also ensured they enjoyed better work ethics, generosity and reliable relationships.

According to evolutionary scientists, the trait, which requires a person to put others’ needs first, has survived because humans have always required co-operation to survive. While the need for co-operation has changed from surviving the savannahs to staying alive in the corporate world, the benefits of humility, empathy and helpfulness remain a key for success.

This ability to put your ego on hold and to empathize with other people has been further linked with good leaders. In 2014, scientist studied 1,500 leaders and their employees. The big headline finding of the study concluded that “humble leaders get more commitment”.

The study found that a leader’s ability to demonstrate strong self-insight and humility provides them with a proactive approach. Furthermore, when employees experience this type of leadership, they are more committed to work.

The researchers recommended leadership development programmes should start paying more attention in self-reflection. Karoline Hofslett Kopperud, researcher at BI Norwegian Business School, said, “[training in self-reflection] will give the leader a better understanding of how his or her behaviour is perceived and interpreted by the employees.”

The ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes and to appreciate the deed, instead of the position, can help in gaining more trust. Trust, in turn, is essential for the creation of good teams. In essence, a good leader should understand that a bigger paycheck or a fancy title doesn’t necessarily mean you are more valuable to the organization than the other employees.

Greater humility in leaders can help you open up to other opinions and viewpoints, which will help you lead better. The creative boost from humility means you.

• Don’t assume you know it better or that you have nothing to input.
• Are interested in what others have to say and offer because you understand everyone can add something to the project.
• You also understand how to measure the value of an idea or a practice. You don’t assume certain things are automatically better than others, but you test and evaluate to find the underlying cause of real value.

A Catalyst study in six different countries and their employees found an interesting link between altruistic behaviour and innovation. Innovation went up in these teams, the more humility the management showed, creating a welcoming environment for people.

True humility requires self-awareness

There is a big difference between true humility and simply pandering. A lack of self-awareness is a trait that most people who behave badly (in any capacity) have in common. More often than not, the perpetrators of aggressive or tone-deaf actions are motivated by subconscious drivers and fail to understand the damage they cause to their relationships and organizations.

On the flip side, when individuals are self-aware enough to recognize their mistakes, people tend to be pretty forgiving. The first step towards self-awareness is to recognize and be open about the things that cause stress, anxiety, and negativity in your life.

From there, it’s possible to accept that sometimes you’re just plain wrong. One of the most admirable and useful traits for entrepreneurs and leaders is the ability to admit their mistakes and move forward.

Be empathetic and don’t be afraid to show mercy

All too often, we separate our business from our personal lives. While someone may be kind, generous, and merciful in private, they often face pressure to behave differently when running their businesses.

You cannot separate your personal and public personas. Who you are in private is who you need to be in public. That means that concepts like empathy can and should bleed into the realm of business. The humble leader is able to be empathetic to those in their charge.

In short, always treat people the way you want to be treated. I know, it sounds simplistic and trite, but you can never go wrong with the Golden Rule. There is a tremendous empathy deficit in our modern society, and its impact is far reaching. Embracing empathy in thought, word, and deed doesn’t mean that you have to be a bleeding heart in business.

Empathy is central to building healthy relationships with team members, clients, and partners. You will rarely go wrong when you put others first. The payoff might not be immediate, but it is definitely worthwhile.

Self-awareness, humility, and empathy are things that are in short supply these days, and that is truly tragic. Leaders must remember that little ethical compromises have a tendency to compound over time, and both pride and selfishness easily take root. When this happens, terrible things occur, including potential ethical blunders.

My advice to entrepreneurs and leaders is simple: humble yourself. Make a conscious effort each day to embrace humility, self-awareness, and empathy and you will find the rewards to be immense.

Research in the January 2014 issue of the Administrative Science Quarterly found that managers who exhibit traits of humility – such as seeking feedback and focusing on the needs of others – resulted in better employee engagement and job performance.

There’s a difference between being a humble leader and being wishy-washy or overly solicitous of others’ opinions, says Arron Grow, associate program director of the School of Applied Leadership at the City University of Seattle and author of How to Not Suck as a Manager.

Being humble doesn’t mean being a chump. You can use humility to be a more effective leader in these six ways:

1. Be Open to Others’ Opinions

Humble leaders seek input from others to ensure they have all the facts and are making decisions that are in the best interest of the team. No one person has all the answers. If you think you do, then it’s probably time to reassess. People want to work for people who value their opinions rather than ignore or dismiss them. Effectively humble leaders are comfortable asking for input and can just as easily be decisive when the situation calls for it.

2. Tend to Others’ Needs

Nielsen says team performance is ...

Table of contents

• Understanding Humility
• The Virtues of Humility
• Historical Context of Humility
• Humility and Leadership
• How to Practise Humility
• Pride
• Humility and Confidence
• The Spiritual Aspect of Pride and Humility
• Humility in the Workplace
• Humility and Politics
• Characteristics of Humble People
• The Power of Humility