Humility – The Difference Between An Average Leader and a Great Leader

Like it or not, at some point in your career you will be asked to become a leader in the workplace.  It may be leading a group of four people in a small work section or leading hundreds of people over multiple departments.   Every leadership position has its own set of unique challenges but the one bond that separates average leaders from great leaders is humility.  Understanding that one fundamental element of leadership will not only prepare us for future positions but also help us recognize the great leaders we work with today.

According to Marilyn Lustgarten in her article, Humility-A Leadership Imperative, humility is the acknowledgment of the truth about who we are in relationship to others and is absolutely essential to effective leadership. She quotes G.K. Chesterton as saying, “It is always the secure who are humble.” A leader secure enough to admit that he or she doesn’t have, or need to have, all the answers is rewarded with the contributions of talented followers committed to the success of the whole organization. 

So what’s the payoff for being a humble leader you might ask.  What’s in it for you?  Here is a list, courtesy of LeaderPerfect.com, of some lessons we learn from having humility as a leader.

• Humility lets us dismiss concerns about being the center of attention, so that we can step aside and let others shine. People don’t tend to trust people who insist on taking all the credit or hogging the spotlight.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 damaging to trust.
• 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.”

As leadership opportunities appear on the path of your career, pause and humbly ask yourself, “Do I want to be an average leader or a great leader?”