Over the past decade, there has been significant interest in humble leadership as an alternative to traditional command-and-control styles that focused solely on authority and power. While researchers have studied humble leadership theories, there remains a disconnect between academic understanding and real-world application.
Today we will aim to bridge that gap by providing a comprehensive yet practical exploration of humble leadership, outlining key concepts from research, highlighting examples from various industry contexts, and offering pragmatic advice for developing a more humble approach.
Defining Humble Leadership
Before exploring humble leadership in practice, it is important to establish a working definition based on research. Scholars generally agree that humble leadership comprises three main characteristics:
An accurate view of one's strengths and limitations without inflated ego or hubris. Leaders are self-aware of what they do not know.
An appreciation of others where the leader values team members and recognizes their diverse talents, rather than focusing solely on personal status or accomplishments.
Receptive to new ideas and feedback by listening openly without defensiveness, even to views that conflict with their own. Humble leaders seek knowledge from others.
With this conceptual foundation, we can now consider humble leadership through a practical lens of application across industries.
Practicing Humble Leadership in Technology
The technology sector provides a useful case study, as rapid innovation requires open collaboration and continual learning. At Microsoft, CEO Satya Nadella exemplifies humble leadership. When he took over in 2014, Nadella focused on transforming the culture away from the founder-driven ego that had stagnated the company. By being visibly curious and crowdsourcing new perspectives, Nadella created an environment where employees felt empowered to challenge old ways of thinking and propose new solutions. This humble approach helped Microsoft regain momentum against competitors like Google.
Another example is Netflix, where CEO Reed Hastings cultivates what he calls "learner humility." This attitude permeates the organization through cultural values like courage over comfort. Employees are expected not to rest on past successes but remain eager to improve through constructive self-criticism and willingness to change course when better ideas emerge. This humility has allowed Netflix to adapt nimbly to disruptive challenges like streaming video.
Overall, these technology leaders demonstrate that humble leadership correlates strongly with an innovative spirit. By embracing what they do not know and opening themselves up to diverse viewpoints, even at the highest levels, organizations can foster cultures where employees continuously push boundaries. This flexibility and appetite for learning give companies a strategic advantage in fast-moving industries.
Humble Leadership in Healthcare
A very different context is healthcare, where lives are at stake. Here, humble leadership means having the self-awareness and wisdom to acknowledge limitations while still guiding according to expertise. Dr. Daniela Lamas, a cardiologist renowned for her work with underserved populations, exemplifies this delicate balance. While confident in her medical knowledge, Dr. Lamas approaches each patient scenario with an open and inquiring mindset. She views herself as partner rather than authority figure, empowering individuals to make their own informed choices.
This approach has allowed Dr. Lamas to establish trust even within populations historically wary of the medical system. Her research has also uncovered socioeconomic factors impacting health that she may have otherwise overlooked due to her privileged background. By staying receptive to patient experiences beyond her training, Dr. Lamas advances treatment strategies with a more holistic understanding of the human realities driving medical outcomes. Her humble leadership inspires both peers and the communities she serves.
In healthcare especially, leaders must walk a tightrope - exhibiting enough assurance to reassure while remaining self-aware enough to see limitations. Applied judiciously as it is by exemplars like Dr. Lamas, humble leadership leads not just to innovative ideas but fuller caring for the whole person dependent upon the system. This context highlights humble leadership's flexibility across industries.
Developing Humble Leadership Skills
While extraordinary leaders may seem naturally gifted, modest styles can still be nurtured through conscious effort. Some practical steps include:
Seek diverse perspectives. Surround yourself with direct reports and advisors across backgrounds who will challenge your blind spots without fear of reprisal. Set clear expectations that dissenting views are welcomed.
Admit errors openly. When mistakes happen, own them transparently rather than deflecting blame. This models vulnerability that builds trust.
Solicit candid feedback regularly. Actively poll team members and stakeholders through anonymous surveys or one-on-ones about your leadership strengths/weaknesses. Listen without defensiveness.
Share credit generously. Ensure accomplishments are attributed broadly to contributor efforts rather than taking sole recognition personally.
Engage in reflective journaling. Record leadership incidents and your emotional/intuitive responses to gain self-awareness over time on leadership growth areas.
While uncomfortable initially, these practices build humility muscles through experience. Focusing outward on others' development also shifts emphasis from an inflated ego invested in being right to the greater good served through enabling the group's combined success.
Building a Culture of Humble Leadership
Of course, the actions of any single leader matter little without cultural reinforcement. Organizations must institutionalize humble values and behaviors on a systems level.
Some strategies include:
Incorporate humility as a core competency in performance reviews, promotions, and talent assessments to signal prioritization.
Offer training programs that help all staff develop self-awareness, give effective feedback, and engage respectfully with different views.
Foster psychological safety so people at all levels feel secure raising concerns without fear of reprisal regardless of rank or tenure.
Reward risk-taking and experiments and learning from failures over just successes. This reduces apprehension around potential missteps brought on by new approaches.
Share leadership broadly through cross-functional team structures and distributed decision rights rather than centralized power models.
When humble virtues permeate the whole culture systematically in these ways, even transitional leadership changes pose less risk to organizational learning and flexibility over time. Humility becomes a self-sustaining aspect of the social fabric rather than dependent on any single role-holder.
Conclusion
In today's VUCA world of uncertainty and disruption, humility may be the most important leadership virtue. Those able to see limitations, acknowledge what they do not know, value diverse viewpoints beyond their own, and prioritize the collective mission over personal interests will navigate ambiguity with greater agility, creativity and care for all stakeholders affected. While challenging to exhibit, models demonstrate that humble leadership skills absolutely can be developed through intentional practices - both for individuals and as a cultural system. When put into action across contexts as outlined, humility proves a pragmatic and ethical approach for organizations seeking to thrive through change.
References
Owens, B. P., & Hekman, D. R. (2012). Modeling how to grow: An inductive examination of humble leader behaviors, contingencies, and outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 55(4), 787–818. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.0441
Owens, B. P., & Hekman, D. R. (2016). How does leader humility influence team performance? Exploring the mechanisms of contagion and collective promotion focus. Academy of Management Journal, 59(3), 1088–1111. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.0660
Chen, G., Sharma, P. N., Edinger, S. K., Shapiro, D. L., & Farh, J.-L. (2011). Motivating and demotivating forces in teams: Cross-level influences of empowering leadership and relationship conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(3), 541–557. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021886
Krishnan, V. R. (2012). Transformational leadership and personal outcomes: Empowerment as mediator. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 33(6), 550–563. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437731211253019
Rego, A., Sousa, F., Marques, C., & e Cunha, M. P. (2014). Hope and positive affect mediating the authentic leadership and creativity relationship. Journal of Business Research, 67(2), 200–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.10.003
Jonathan H. Westover, PhD is Chief Academic & Learning Officer (HCI Academy); Chair/Professor, Organizational Leadership (UVU); OD Consultant (Human Capital Innovations). Read Jonathan Westover's executive profile here.
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