LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

HAIL A QUIET SUPERPOWER!         

Manilka Ediriweera demonstrates how humble leaders achieve more at work

When we think of great leaders, we associate them with qualities such as vision, courage, charisma and resilience. What rarely makes the list is humility.

This could be because the idea of a humble leader doesn’t quite sound like a person who can command the room. It’s simply not the image we’ve been taught to associate with successful leaders.

Yet, many of the most effective leaders have humility in their DNA.

A common misconception is that humility involves downplaying one’s worth and importance. However, it’s about perspective and discerning your strengths, successes, weaknesses, mistakes and areas you need to improve in.

Humility can also be confused with a lack of confidence at times – but that’s untrue. Humble leaders can be confident in themselves, their skills and abilities. It’s simply that their confidence or self-esteem isn’t unnecessarily loud or dominating.

Recent research affirms and highlights the importance of humility in leadership. Studies have shown that humble leaders listen more effectively; invest in people and mentor them; create an ecosystem of trust; and build a network of highly capable, loyal and enthusiastic followers.

Though there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to leading with humility, there are key qualities that humble leaders possess.

Humble leaders have a desire to learn; they don’t inflate their abilities. They see learning as an ongoing responsibility because there’s always more to learn. They’re also capable of admitting that they don’t know something. Displaying vulnerability and asking for help is perfectly acceptable to them.

Their capacity for humility also gives them strong listening skills. This helps them understand different perspectives before responding.

Humble leaders recognise their limitations and know they need to work with other people to overcome them. In doing so, they also become more open to receiving feedback and creating a culture of collaboration across their teams. They’re grounded in who they are and remain fully aware of what they bring to the table.

Such leaders know they’re not perfect and they don’t expect perfection from anyone else. This enables them to inculcate a sense of compassion, which provides space for team members to learn, make mistakes and grow.

They also display a willingness to accept when they’re wrong, acknowledge their mistakes and hold themselves accountable.

Research now confirms the thinking that humility is a quality that pays off for leaders. It makes them more approachable to their teams, and this fosters a culture of inclusion and belonging – one where people are more willing to contribute ideas, share information and raise concerns. Valuing other people’s ideas and insights helps fuel innovation.

Humility helps build influence as employees respect and are drawn to leaders who are humble, more than those who are arrogant and overconfident. It also leads to better results because humble leadership correlates with stronger teams, increased collaboration and improved flexibility.

Humility doesn’t simply make one a better leader; it leads to better outcomes across the board.

So how do leaders develop humility?

Humility isn’t a trait that a leader has or doesn’t have; it’s a practice that can be learned. Here are some ways to develop humility…

SELF-KNOWLEDGE Know your strengths and limitations. No one has all the skills needed or all the answers. Pretending that one knows it all can be exhausting for leaders and frustrating for their teams. So it’s necessary to identify where one needs to grow in terms of strengths – because this helps establish a leader’s role clearly and respectfully.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Acknowledge your team and put it first. Humble leaders don’t steal the spotlight, always involve their teams in wins and make it a point to recognise their contributions. When people see that their contribution matters, it creates a culture where everyone is invested in the outcome.

LEARNING CURVE A growth mindset means believing that one’s abilities can improve – and acting on it. Leaders can learn from their peers, employees and experts, and demonstrate that irrespective of their titles, they’re never done with growing. This curiosity and willingness to learn will help foster a culture where growth is a constant.

ACCEPT MISTAKES Humble leaders can remain grounded and acknowledge mistakes when they occur without pointing fingers at others. When people understand that their leader is open to acknowledging mistakes and learning from others, they tend to contribute more and make groups more effective.

The bottom line is that even though humility is often mistaken for weakness, it’s a quiet superpower in leadership. It’s the silent force that fuels trust, innovation and success.

Humble leaders have a desire to learn