One of the best ways (to be humble) is to adopt the humble mind-set of a servant leader. Servant leaders view their key role as serving employees as they explore and grow, providing tangible and emotional support as they do so.
–Dan Cable
Last week we shared some traits our clients wanted to see their leaders exhibit and one of them was the ability to be humble. Did this strike a chord with you? We’ve talked about servant leadership in the past and part of the common theme of definitions includes the need to be humble.
A post by Rebecca shares 21 attributes of a humble person. We’ll highlight a few; to read her entire list and article click here. Humble people:
They do not belittle others
Quite the opposite – leaders make others feel important
They are not rude
Leaders are respectful, they listen, and are mindful of the
needs of others
They are truthful
Leaders live life with integrity and no hidden agendas
They will put themselves in someone else’s shoes
Leaders seek to understand
They are not self-righteous
Leaders do not have a superiority complex
They are not judgmental
Leaders do not form opinions without obtaining facts
They are not arrogant
Leaders do not portray a sense of self-importance
They will not dwell on the past
Leaders do not let negative “baggage” hinder their decisions
They will not get defensive
Leaders are accepting of feedback and suggestions for
change/improvement
- As a leader, how would you score yourself in the above categories?
- What about how you would score your leader?
- What category would you like to personally or professionally develop? Don’t forget to add them to your development plan!
Servant-leaders have the humility, courage, and insight to admit that they can benefit from the expertise of others who have less power than them.
—Dan Cable