Brigette Hyacinth* says there is no better medicine for leadership success than a daily dose of humility.
The stories are all too common: After years of hard work, many leaders let success get to their head.
Their egos grow and they gain satisfaction from pushing people around.
Little do they know, humility is an incredibly powerful choice.
It is a critical success factor.
As the Bible says: “With pride comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Scientific inquiry into the power and effectiveness of humility has shown that it offers a significant competitive advantage to leaders.
Leaders are more powerful when they’re humble.
Humble leaders show vulnerability which makes them more approachable.
Such leaders don’t point fingers or divert blame, and are willing to listen to differing opinions.
If you don’t listen or won’t admit you’re wrong, you can’t grow.
If you don’t grow, your organisation won’t grow. Success requires continuous growth.
Humble leaders are great listeners. Listening forms the foundation of good relationships.
It shows you care. Humility and emotional intelligence go hand-in-hand.
Humility is a sign of strength, not weakness.
When you can shift your focus from taking to giving, from hoarding the credit to recognising the contributions of others, it shows inner strength.
We know success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It is a team effort.
Learn to appreciate and value the people around you.
What you want won’t always come easy, but if you work hard and never give up, you will get there. Small steps every day.
In spite of how much success you attain. Stay humble.
Humility, if consistently pursued and prudently polished over time, is a powerful force for good that helps one to reach and sustain success.
*Brigette Hyacinth founded the MBA Caribbean Organisation which conducts seminars and workshops in leadership, management and education. She can be contacted at www.mbacaribbean.org.
This article first appeared on Brigette’s blogsite
