Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Humility - A Leader Quality
When it comes to leadership, knowledge without application is useless. Leadership is not what you do, it is who you are. Put simply, leadership is influencing others for good, moving others to take action, and inspiring your team to be the best they can be. It is not about being the boss or being a good manager.
Trust is at the heart of any honest relationship. It is what builds teams quickly, reassures customers, and propels organizations forward. Are you 100% certain your team would say YOU have a trusted leadership style? Humility is the first pillar of a leader whom others will trust.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines humility as “not proud or haughty.” Being humble means you, as the leader, are favored but not full of yourself. Put another way…Drop Your Ego.
Humility requires you to examine who you are and what you have become. It focuses the attention away from you and places it on team members. The opposite of being humble is being prideful. Let’s put context around the proud leader.
A proud leader is:
• self-focused.
• close minded.
• critical.
How to Become a Humble Leader
1. Be teachable.
Researcher Ellen Van Velsor (Center for Creative Leadership) found, “If things are going to continue to change, the one thing companies need above all else is people who have the ability to learn.” Change is the constant in life. You can become an active learner by:
• Taking time to reflect.
• Regularly seeking feedback.
• Having a wide range of interests.
• Learning from other people’s failures and successes.
2. Be flexible.
Rather than being controlling, learn how to be effective without being in control. You cannot control people or circumstances. This may seem counter-intuitive but the more you loosen your grip, the more you gain. The more flexibility you can build into yourself, the more you succeed.
3. Welcome change.
Change = growth. But, not all change is good. You need to determine the right change which is developed by being open and teachable. Humble leaders are not afraid of personal change. Seek to improve yourself and your team because change is the path to progress.
Leadership guru, Warren Bennis summed up his work by saying that “leadership is character in action.” Researchers have determined that personality is fixed by the age of six, and anyone can take a simple inventory to determine his or her personality profile. Character, on the other hand, is your moral maturity, your developed moral muscles, and commitment to doing the right thing even when you don’t feel like it.
It takes persistence and commitment to build your character and leadership skills. My wish is that you will discover you no longer have to try to be a good leader because you will have become a good leader.
Until next time...Lead like you mean it!
Marjorie