When you think of a leader, what comes to mind? Most often, we think of power and strength as the primary characteristics associated with effective leadership.
While it’s true that attributes such as these are certainly ones that you want in a leader, one quality of great leadership that too often goes overlooked is the quality of humility.
Leaders who can display a genuine sense of humility through their words and actions make exceptional leaders for a wide range of reasons.
They tend to inspire others to succeed because they tend to create a healthy and positive work environment where they are genuinely appreciated and respected by their employees.
Let’s take a look at some of these reasons why the best leaders in the world today are humble leaders.
Humble leaders find joy when others succeed
Humble leaders have an urge to serve others. They shift attention away from themselves and focus on the needs of others. Most importantly, they genuinely find joy in the successes of other people.
Employees can always tell when their leader only has their interests at heart, no matter how hard they might try to hide it. A humble leader, though, is one who makes it clear and obvious that they are genuinely invested in their employees and want to see them succeed.
In the end, this approach to leadership is almost certain to bring the best out of employees and inspire them to succeed many times better than a leader who is only in it for themselves.
The Road to Character
by David Brooks
⏱ 13 minute reading time
🎧 Audio version available
Humble leaders lead with kindness and treat others with respect
It takes a certain degree of humility to treat others with kindness and respect, especially if you are in a position of authority over them.
However, treating your employees with kindness and respect is essential if you hope to empower them to deliver their very best work. Self-centered leaders who truly view themselves as superior to the people beneath them on the corporate ladder can fake this kindness and respect for a while, but employees know the difference.
For a humble leader, though, kindness and respect come naturally. When you view others as equal to yourself, it’s much easier to treat them like you would want to be treated if you were in their situation.
This, of course, creates a much more positive working environment where employees are genuinely motivated to please and impress a leader that treats them well.
Related: 5 Books Every Leader Should Read to Be Successful
Humble leaders inspire stronger teamwork
Research has shown leaders who exhibit humility have a higher chance of collaboration, cooperation, and flexibility in creating ideas. Leaders who have traits related to humility, such as an openness to feedback and being aware of employee needs, revealed a significant increase in the level of commitment and job performance.
Displaying a sense of humility to your employees lets them know that you are behind them all the way and that you are all in it together. Such an atmosphere where no one feels less important or less valued than anyone else inspires much stronger teamwork.
It’s hard to feel like an essential part of a team if you aren’t treated as such. When everyone is listened to and treated with respect, a real sense of teamwork is much more likely to be achieved.
Humble leaders admit to their mistakes and take responsibility.
We are all human, and we all make mistakes. Given how many decisions leaders must make regularly, leaders are often even more prone to mistakes than anyone else.
Unfortunately, far too many leaders cannot admit their mistakes when they make them, even if those mistakes are apparent to everyone involved. Humble leaders, though, area able to admit to their mistakes and take ownership of the consequences.
Humble leaders will go out of their way to understand what they did wrong. They try to seek out what changes need to be made in the future to prevent the same mistake from happening again. Of course, this is a much more beneficial way to approach dealing with mistakes than trying to pretend as if they didn’t happen.
Being able to own up to their mistakes will also humanize a leader in their employees’ eyes. As a leader, it can often be beneficial for your employees to know that you aren’t perfect and that you are prone to errors as much as anyone else.
It makes your employees more likely to take responsibility for their own mistakes and make them more likely to see you as someone they respect and look up to.
Humble leaders seek input from others
Humble leaders understand they are not always the most intelligent person in the room and encourage people to speak up, be open-minded, and share ideas – and this willingness to acknowledge others’ ideas can bring an incredible amount of value to a company.
For one, seeking input from others may lead to the next great idea or innovation that will take your company to the next level. Stories of low-level employees coming up with ideas and solutions that turn out to be incredibly effective or not at all uncommon.
Of course, these great ideas and solutions would have never been realized if those employees’ leaders had not been humble enough to listen to their input.
Just as important as encouraging others to speak up might lead to a great source of new ideas and innovation, though, is the fact that letting your employees know that their thoughts and opinions are valued is sure to make them much more motivated.
Everyone likes to think that they are making a real difference and serving as more than just another cog in the machine. When you are humble enough to sit down and listen to what those beneath you have to say, you create a sense of mutual respect that is sure to be one of the most valuable attributes of your company’s culture.
Humble leaders admit to their mistakes and take responsibility
We are all human, and we all make mistakes. Given how many decisions leaders must make regularly, leaders are often even more prone to mistakes than anyone else.
Unfortunately, far too many leaders cannot admit their mistakes when they make them, even if those mistakes are apparent to everyone involved. Humble leaders, though, area able to admit to their mistakes and take ownership of the consequences.
Humble leaders will go out of their way to understand what they did wrong. They try to seek out what changes need to be made in the future to prevent the same mistake from happening again. Of course, this is a much more beneficial way to approach dealing with mistakes than trying to pretend as if they didn’t happen.
Being able to own up to their mistakes will also humanize a leader in their employees’ eyes. As a leader, it can often be beneficial for your employees to know that you aren’t perfect and that you are prone to errors as much as anyone else.
It makes your employees more likely to take responsibility for their own mistakes and make them more likely to see you as someone they respect and look up to.
Humble leaders accept constructive feedback
No one is perfect, and no matter how good a leader is at their job, there is always room for improvement. This is a truth that humble leaders recognize, and humble leaders are always open to constructive feedback that could improve their performance.
In far too many cases, employees are afraid to criticize or provide them with feedback even when it is warranted and necessary. This creates an environment where a leader may not even realize how many problems there are with the decisions that they are making.
Though, a humble leader tends to encourage feedback and even seek it out, making them much more likely to identify their faults and improve on them.
Humble leaders give credit where credit is due
There’s nothing worse than working hard to help your company achieve a goal only to have someone in a position of authority take all of the credit for your hard work and ideas. Unfortunately, this happens often and something that can be catastrophic when it comes to keeping employees inspired and motivated.
What’s the point of working hard and doing more than just what is expected of you if you know that someone else will get all of the credit and accolades for your extra effort?
However, Humble leaders can give credit where credit is due and avoid the temptation to swoop in and take that credit for themselves. This creates an environment where employees know that their hard work and extra effort will be recognized and rewarded, making them much more motivated and inspired to do their very best.
Humble leaders are not afraid to lead by example
The best leaders lead by example. However, it takes a certain degree of humility to get your hands dirty and show your employees that you are willing to work as hard or even harder than they are.
When employees see a leader who is willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve the company’s goals rather than just sitting in the top of their ivory tower and barking orders, they are sure to have much more respect for that leader and are sure to work much harder themselves toward those same goals.
If you have the humility to lead by example, even when doing so is challenging and demanding, your employees are much more likely to follow your lead.
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