Written by Santarvis Brown, Leadership Engineer
Dr. Santarvis Brown has spent 15+ years serving as a leader, innovator, and changemaker in education, showcasing in-depth insight as an administrator, educator, and program director.
Leading effectively takes time and effort. You don’t just wake up one day an incredible leader – it’s something you work towards. Luckily, you don’t have to go it alone. I’ve put together a few primers to help you along the way. This series is called “The ABCs of Effective Leadership,” and it’s all about putting you on the path to success. By the end of the series, you’ll have a great handle on the essentials of leading in business.
Let’s take a look at the letter “H,” which stands for humility.
What is humility in leadership?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines humility as “freedom from pride or arrogance: the quality or state of being humble.” I think this is a pretty good definition that accurately explains what humility means in your personal life as well as in business. Leaders with humility are aware of their shortcomings as people and don’t hesitate to ask for help when the need arises. They aren’t defensive about critiques and are always ready to learn new things. Humility is important in leadership because humble leaders are seen as more trustworthy, compassionate, and approachable than arrogant leaders.
A humble leader positively impacts the people around them, creating a positive work environment that fosters satisfaction and innovation.
Why is humility important?
I touched on this briefly above, but let’s take some time to explore the importance of humble leadership a bit more closely.
One of the most important aspects of leadership is collaboration. Think about the last time you worked on a team. Did you interact with approachable people ready to work closely with you to create something incredible? Were your teammates sure they had all the answers and refused to listen to dissenting opinions? If you worked with the latter, chances are good you wished they were the former, instead. That’s because arrogant leaders aren’t willing to work with other people to improve their knowledge or skills, they think they already have both in spades. Humble leaders make excellent teammates because they’re willing to accept their work isn’t perfect and work on improving it with their coworkers.
Another reason humility matters is trust. Teams that trust each other are more effective than those that don’t. Knowing that you have team members who are willing to go to bat for you makes the work process much more pleasant and less stressful than it might otherwise be. This, in turn, translates to better work and more satisfied clients (and employees). Humble leaders build trust easily because their team members know that they’re understanding of shortcomings and willing to put in the work to fix errors that might arise.
Humility vs. confidence
I want to make a quick note about confidence here. Being humble is not the same thing as lacking confidence. It’s about being wise enough to understand that while you’re fully capable of leading well, you aren’t perfect and need to remember that.
Humility in leadership is a strength that has far-reaching implications. Humble leaders build stronger relationships with coworkers than other leaders and are more likely to produce excellent work thanks to their willingness to learn. It’s an important part of any leader’s toolbox!
Santarvis Brown, Leadership Engineer
Dr. Santarvis Brown has spent 15+ years serving as a leader, innovator, and changemaker in education, showcasing in-depth insight as an administrator, educator, and program director. A noted speaker, researcher, and full professor, he has lent his speaking talent to many community and educational forums, serving as a keynote speaker. He has also penned several publications tackling issues in civic service, faith, leadership, and education.
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