Humility

  One of the toughest balances I find in my life is to maintain both a good self-esteem and also maintain humility.  Self-esteem might be a topic for another day.  Below I have shared a snippet from one article about the 5 suggested ways to practice humility.  After that there is an entire brief article on Humility.   Both of these articles mention Tim Collin's Good to Great book.  I read this book many years ago but one of the main points I took from that book is that it does not usually serve one well to trumpet their successes.  Some things you read may make sense when you read them but putting them to practice may prove out that it just does not suit you well.  The lessons of humilty from Good to Great continue to stand up against time.  I try to stand-up for my mistakes and push the credit of my successes onto others.  In my humbleness I'll let you read what other smarter people wrote but I love how the final article ends: 
People with humility do not think less of themselves; they just think about themselves less.

5 Suggestions for Maintaining Humililty

1. There are times when swallowing one's pride is particularly difficult and any intentions of humility fly out the window, as we get engaged in a contest of perfection, each side seeking to look good. If you find yourself in such no-win situations, consider developing some strategies to ensure that the circumstances don't lead you to lose your grace. Try this sometimes: just stop talking and allow the other person to be in the limelight. There is something very liberating in this strategy.
2. Here are three magical words that will produce more peace of mind than a week at an expensive retreat: "You are right."
3. Catch yourself if you benignly slip into over preaching or coaching without permission – is zeal to impose your point of view overtaking discretion? Is your correction of others reflective of your own needs?
4. Seek others' input on how you are showing up in your leadership path. Ask: "How am I doing?" It takes humility to ask such a question. And even more humility to consider the answer.
5. Encourage the practice of humility in your company through your own example: every time you share credit for successes with others, you reinforce the ethos for your constituents. Consider mentoring or coaching emerging leaders on this key attribute of leadership.

There are many benefits to practicing humility, to being in a state of non-pretence: it improves relationships across all levels, it reduces anxiety, it encourages more openness and paradoxically, it enhances one's self-confidence. It opens a window to a higher self. For me, it replaces "windowsill" as the most beautiful word in the English language.

This week's article's link is here

 

Humility – A Leadership Attribute Throughout the Ages

Posted on March 29, 2011 by David Shedd

One of the most difficult challenges for any leader is to remain humble in light of the success that the leader has achieved.  Our business success inevitably leads to greater self-confidence, especially as we inevitably over-estimate our personal role in that business success.  As Bill Gates said well:

Success is a lousy teacher.  It seduces smart people into thinking they cannot lose.

What is Humility?
Humility is the personal honesty that you, as the leader, do not know everything and do not have all the answers.  Humility enables you to question people’s flattery, to admit your mistakes and weaknesses, and to be more open to other’s opinions and challenges to your viewpoints.  It is certainly not a coincidence that in Good to Great, Jim Collins identifies the characteristics of the best leaders as possessing:

A paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will.

Humility and Ego
In his book, What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, Marshall Goldsmith defines 21 weaknesses in leadership behavior that he characterizes as “stupid things top leaders do that they need to stop doing now.”  The root cause of virtually all of these behaviors is the ego of the leader:
1.  The ego that tells the leader that he knows everything and is always right.  As Yogi Berra said:

There are some people who, if they don’t already know, you can’t tell them.

2.  The ego that tells the leader that she is better than the others who are subordinate.
3.  The ego that tells the leader that he does not need to play by the roles.
Through these behaviors leaders have let their ego prevail and lost their humility.  By contrast, successful business leaders have great self-confidence, but they retain their humility and honesty as they realize that while talented and hard-working, they are not perfect, have been greatly aided by others, and (yes) have just been plain lucky.

Humility Across the Ages
This question of humility has been a leadership issue for millennia: 
Ancient China:  “The great leader speaks little.  He works without self-interest and leaves no trace.  When all is finished, the people say: ‘we did it ourselves.’”  Lao-Tzu

Ancient Greece:  The Ancient Greeks had a word for the loss of humility and the triumph of the ego: hubris.  Hubris is the outrageous arrogance where a person in power overestimates his or her own competence and capabilities, gradually loses touch with reality, and (in Greek tragedies) succumbs to a tragic fall.
Ancient Rome:  “To conquer one’s spirit, abandon anger, and be modest in victory… whoever can do this I compare not to the greatest of men but to a god.”  Cicero
Mongol World around 1200:  “The key to leadership is self-control: primarily, the mastery of pride, which is more difficult to subdue than a wild lion.”  Genghis Khan
Louis XIV France: “Louis’s greatest gift was to maintain his quality of common sense in the midst of constant flattery.  Throughout, the king demanded respect and obedience, not flattery.”  Louis XIV biographer, Olivier Bernier

18^th  Century Austria: To keep herself humble and ensure that she did what was right and best for the Austria-Hungarian Empire, the Archduchess Maria Teresa employed one advisor as her official critic.  It was the formal job of Emmanuel Count Sylva-Tarouca to tell Maria Teresa all of her mistakes.


20^th Century America: “To possess self-confidence and humility at the same time is called maturity.”  Jack Welch


Conclusion
As a leader, your success comes about from the success of others.  Maintaining humility allows you to better keep your focus where it needs to be, directed outward towards your team and your customers.  As Ken Blanchard said:

People with humility do not think less of themselves; they just think about themselves less.