How Humble Leaders Overcome Limiters
You aren’t a leader when you do it yourself.
Humble leaders expand their leadership by including people. Excluding competent people limits opportunities.
Openness is strength.
Leadership Limiters:
Know-it-alls think they’re always right.
Feeling superior restricts leadership. Superiority expressed by indifference, distrust, and judging chokes potential.
Arrogance judges. Standing aloof gives permission to close your heart, ignore people, and make snap decisions.
7 Practices of Humble Leaders:
Humility expands leadership.
- Investigate suggestions. Ask, “What are the advantages and disadvantages of your suggestion?” Or “What brought this to mind?” Suggestions irritate arrogance.
- Make important decisions slowly. Quick decisions exclude others. You may be right, but you end up alone.
- Push with. What if their insights add value? How might it work? (This strategy works best when exploring options.)
- Lean in, when you feel like pushing away. You could be wrong.
- Honor candor. Say, “Thanks for speaking your mind. What makes this important to you?”
- Invite people to challenge your ideas. Ideas are purified by challenge. Ask, “What are we missing?”
- Listen deeply. Two ears and one mouth aren’t enough. Imagine you have six or seven ears and one mouth. Feelings of superiority come out in disinterest.
Tip: The next time you think a teammate doesn’t get it, ask yourself what you’re missing. Being open isn’t being a pushover.
Openness is strength. Humble leaders are open to learn even when they don’t agree.
What behaviors suggest a feeling of superior to others?
How might leaders address the limitations of feeling superior to others?
Still curious:
How Humble Leadership Really Works
Humble Leadership (Edgar and Peter Schein)
Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Resolve (HBR)
