What humble leadership REALLY looks like

The terms servant and humble leadership are thrown around so casually we can miss their true purpose or fail to recognize it when we see it. There is power in knowing you don’t have all the answers, giving power to others who may, regardless of position. Yet until you truly know your people, their value (battle tested through a life and previous career outside of your own) will be a mystery hidden by your own ignorance.

Dan Cable, of the Harvard Business Review, writes about this in great length. To quote him:

• ‘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. They actively seek the ideas and unique contributions of the employees that they serve.’

Unfortunately, many organizations house leaders who lack the self awareness (or humility) to understand where their knowledge stops and where their employee's knowledge starts. Bridging this unique skills gap creates cultures of collaboration and innovation. But where do you start? As a humble leader, it should be one of your primary early responsibilities to take deep personal and professional inventory of your team. Easy first steps would be to learn:

• Where have they been
• Where do they want to go (even if that's outside the business)
• What drives them (leave your assumptions at the door)
• Who do they influence
• What influences them
• How are they better than you (yes, they are better than you)

Though played out in a professional environment, these talking points are at the root of all healthy relationships. A humble leader would be remiss to not seek a deeper connection with their team, while simultaneously identifying hidden talent ready to make a positive and innovative impact on the business. No leader should go it alone, once relationships built on trust are established and talent is identified, the leader can start to cultivate an environment of team led experimentation.

As Dan writes,

• 'Leaders often do not see the true value of their charges, especially “lower-level” workers. But when leaders are humble, show respect, and ask how they can serve employees as they improve the organization, the outcomes can be outstanding. And perhaps even more important than better company results, servant leaders get to act like better human beings.'

Respected people are purposed people. Empowered by an increased voice and a freedom to fail, knowing their spotter has their back. Purposed people can move mountains...will you get out of the way?

-sam

If you'd like to talk about humble leadership, reach out to me

leadership, personal development, professional development, teamwork, leadership development