The Importance of Humility as a Leader
A few weeks ago on this blog, I shared about the importance of leading by example. For better or for worse, our team members and followers will emulate or take tips from our behavior and leadership style. So as we seek to hone our leadership skills and be good role models, one of the most important characteristics we can display is humility. C.S. Lewis once said, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." The more we make things about “us” instead of “me,” the greater success we will experience not only personally but from those around us.
Throughout my decades serving in leadership positions, while I didn’t always get it right, I have personally experienced some of the many benefits of practicing humility, even when I don’t want to, or it feels undeserved.
Improved Relatability
Being in a leadership position comes not only with increased responsibility but increased pressure as well. We are rightly expected to meet a higher standard; however, nobody is perfect, and placing the expectation on ourselves that we are not allowed to fail is a recipe for disaster for us and our constituents.
Making mistakes is inevitable, but when we do not possess the humility to give ourselves grace, we are less likely to be forgiving of others when they slip up, which breeds distrust from those under our leadership. The reality is that having a boss who humbly and openly admits when they are at fault helps employees to be more at ease and more likely to take honest responsibility for their own failures.
As our constituents see that we do not put ourselves on a pedestal simply because of our position and understand that we are all merely human, they will gain the courage and confidence to take more creative risks, seek feedback, and be forthright about their mistakes.
Earned Respect
The most respected leaders are the ones who are humble enough to work right alongside their employees. One of the most memorable experiences of my leadership career was when I appeared on the pilot episode of the CBS show “Undercover Boss” and was able to work alongside my employees, learning from them and gaining an understanding of how difficult and essential their roles are, even though they were considered by some to be lower on the rung.
After working alongside them and then revealing my identity as the President of Waste Management, I found that our mutual respect as boss and employee increased drastically because they knew that I not only took notice of their hard work, but I was willing to get my hands dirty and learn more about what was getting in our employees’ way preventing them doing their best job or simply causing frustration instead of just sitting in my office thinking I knew it all.
People will work hard for someone willing to work hard for them.
God Loves A Humble Leader
The words “humble” and “humility” are used over 100 times in the Bible. Moses was described as "very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth," and God chose him to carry out one of the most difficult and important missions we see in the Scriptures. We also see the same kind of humility reflected in Jesus’ life on earth; He washed the feet of His disciples and willingly laid hands on the sick who needed to be healed, both of which were tasks that even Jesus’ followers would have considered too lowly to do had they not followed the Savior’s example.
The message is clear: when we are willing to humble ourselves, God will utilize us for His Kingdom. "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11).
The central theme of humility is putting yourself second and others first. When we become leaders, we take on the role of taking care of our organization and all employees who are part of it. Learning to put our egos to the side can be difficult and take practice, but it also opens up opportunities for ourselves, employees and company to grow.
"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).
Where do you have an opportunity to improve on your humility and build trust with your teammates?
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