Once, a rider observed some soldiers attempting to lift a large wooden log. This corporal was merely observing them while standing there.
The motorcyclist was irritated because the corporal was not actually assisting the soldiers. Why was not he assisting the soldiers, he questioned. “I am the corporal,” the corporal declared. I issue directives.
The cyclist did not respond. He got off his horse, approached the soldiers, and assisted them in moving the wood. The soldiers were able to effectively finish the assignment with this assistance.
Are you curious about this nice rider’s identity?
- It was George Washington, the nation’s commander in chief at the time.
- After getting on the horse, he went up to the corporal and said,
- “The next time your soldiers are in need of assistance, send for the chief executive.”
- Being cynical and authoritarian can help you succeed. But you will not obtain anything else from this.
- You can broaden your horizons and gain knowledge that can greatly increase your power by being humble.
According to Laszlo Bock, Google’s HR guru, having humility might help people become better leaders. They never stop watching, learning, and occasionally even owning up to their mistakes. It aids in the development of a learning, experimental, and creative atmosphere. Humility is the quality of inventive leaders.
Kevin Chou, the CEO and co-founder of Kabam, a massively multiplayer video game firm, gave his Senior Vice President a standing ovation due to his talent and capabilities. It seems that the SVP was also a playwright, and Kevin happened to catch one of his sold-out shows. This gave him the impression that he was ill-suited to evaluate his SVP’s creative output at work. This was the same individual who had previously thought the CEO was the one with all the answers.
In this narrative, IDEO systems designer Deirdre Cerminaro describes her interview with CEO Tim Brown in Boston. She had come for this interview all the way from Connecticut.
Tim questioned her about knowing how to return home at the conclusion of the interview. She mentioned that she had taken a taxi from the train station and that she would use the subway to get back.
When Tim offered to bring her up to the metro, she thought he was going to give her directions. She was caught off guard, but Tim had already retrieved his jacket and called for the elevator before she could respond.
Being humble as a leader might help you build stronger relationships with your staff.A Business Attribute Is Humility
While the majority of team leaders prefer to repress and belittle their subordinates, William A. Hewitt of John Deere was able to let his team members see their own abilities.
When he retired, his teammates gave him a lot of admiration. A leader rarely receives this kind of great appreciation from his followers. His ability to cultivate this level of trust among his people may be attributed only to his humility. He helped them to believe in themselves.
One of the key characteristics Google looks for in candidates is humility. In his speech to his new hires, Google’s SVP of people operations, Lazlo Bock, said the following:
“Your ultimate objective is something we can accomplish jointly in order to address problems. After contributing all I could, I am going to back off.
For Bock, humility is more than just creating room for others to participate. It has to do with intellectual modesty. He asserts that without humility, learning is impossible.
“Humor is the X-factor of effective leadership, not personality.”
Seems like a contradiction? Indeed, it does. But in order to be a good leader, you will need to believe in your own importance as well as your own disposable nature.
Great men and women make up a large number of leaders. But the secret is to keep it a secret. Not even to believe in it, really.
A guard forced Julius Caesar to continually whisper this statement into his ear as he rode into Rome, feeling victorious as the multitude yelled in admiration:
“You are only a dude,”
A leader’s ego must occasionally be set aside in order for him to begin learning from his unavoidable blunders.
You must develop with them, learn from them, and travel this path with them if you want to be a leader that others can trust.
Being humble does not imply having low self-esteem. All you are doing is thinking about other people more than yourself.
- Sincere humility fosters kindness and self-awareness.
- You get more understanding, forthright, and giving…
- You will be forthright about your advantages and disadvantages.
- Rather of being closed-minded or arrogant, you will be self-assured and open-minded.
- You will be encouraging rather than deferential.
But that is not all. Three major ways that humility can assist you immediately increase your performance as a leader or an employer are as follows:
Being humble facilitates listening.
Being humble allows you to see beyond yourself. You have a propensity to be more courteous and open to other people. You seek to cultivate your friendship by beginning to listen to them.
You begin to listen not only to your coworkers but also to your clients and the community you serve. As a leader, you thrive and assist your company in achieving even greater success.
You can test your assumptions by being humble.
Employees in most businesses operate under the tenet that “the boss is always right.” Because of this belief, the leaders behave authoritatively and accept this as true. However, humility can assist you in following your gut and testing your hypotheses before determining whether or not you are correct.
It continues by advising you on what is and is not appropriate, enabling you to make far better selections.
Being humble enables you to admit
It is rare to discover a person who has never made a mistake. Leaders make mistakes too. Simply put, they typically try to place the blame elsewhere rather than owning up to their mistakes. But this is not the best course of action, particularly if the leader hopes to win over his team’s trust.
Acknowledging your error will not make you appear less capable. You become admirable, kind, and elegant as a result. Along the path to both business and personal progress, you will have to let go of your ego.
Seek assistance if you are unsure of something. You will gain knowledge, but you will also be enabling others to shine, which will foster trust.
Being humble may not be as glamorous as other qualities. But it is really, really important. Fortunately, a lot more companies are beginning to see the benefits of humility
