Leaders are everywhere you look. There are leaders in government, leaders in the workforce, and even leaders among groups of friends. Quality leadership requires certain traits that make followers support a leader. The power of a leader resides in ethic, performance, ability, strength and more. However, behind all of those traits lies humility.
Humility is important for leaders for a multitude of reasons. It protects a leader’s credibility. Building credibility takes time and effort, but caught in the wrong and that can all diminish.
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think like that, you’ll do things differently” – Warren Buffett
The spotlight is on leaders constantly. One mistake and there’s potential for disaster to strike. Humility among leaders shows that a leader can admit when they’re wrong. By human nature, people make mistakes. Owning up to it takes strength and humility.
To be humble, one must know when others are right. Not that a leader may be wrong, but when it comes to a matter of opinions, humble leaders accept ideas and explore possibilities other than their own perspective. This also shows that a leader doesn’t have a tight grip on control. Often leaders get caught up in control that they lose part of their ethics or dignity. Sometimes a leader has to take a step back, and to do so it takes humility.
Successful leaders need humility to keep them in check. If a leader gets too confident it may hold them back or slow down their progress. A humble leader accepts success and continues to look at the bigger picture.
Humbleness also allows a leader to take a step back and ask for help. Leaders can seek expert opinions in areas beyond their own to combine knowledge and wisdom to get the job done in the most effective way.
Think of a leader you look up to and trust. What makes you like them and believe in them? Most people look up to leaders because of their quality, what they have to offer to their followers, their sincerity and compassion towards others.
A humble leader doesn’t shy away or put themselves down. A humble leader shows dignity and confidence while remaining thankful for all their accomplishments. Although humility can be hard to learn, the trait is a great quality for any leader to attain.