Thursday, April 21, 2016

Three Questions to Assess a Person’s Humility

Be a strong leadership with humility! Humility is not an opposite of confidence, but an ultimate level of being confident.

The humility comes from being humble and admitting that you don't have all of the answers. Getting on the level of those being led and really listening to understand the circumstances profoundly. Be confident to ask, be curious to learn more and be inclusive to understand other’s PoVs. Cultivate great listening skills with equivalent questions. Be polite, charm, patience, and tolerance for people in conversation and collaboration. It is a crucial quality for today's digital leaders and professionals because overwhelming information and unprecedented uncertainty. Which questions should you ask to assess a person’s humility?


Are you confident enough to show humility? It requires deep discipline and insight to be truly humbled. People think humility is not a strong trait in a leader, this is completely wrong, it takes true strength to be humble. Being humbled is not lack of confidence, but knowing and being confident of your strengths and gifts, but knowing where they come from and being grateful for them and most importantly using them for others' benefit. The strong leaders with humility have the confidence and willingness to admit when they are (or might be) wrong, and who are ready to say "I don't know." But like any aspect of leadership, following what the "Leadership Paradoxes"—being overly humble can be a big negative. Too much self-deprecation can lead people to wonder "Then why should we follow you?" The key is to find the balance and to know when it's right to be humble and when it's right to "SELL knowledge and wisdom." And when you DO sell, sell the RIGHT things in the RIGHT way.


Are you an inclusive leader who always embrace the diversity of thoughts and different point of views? The humble leader is inclusive. The humble leader embraces and encourages the ideas of others, developing an environment rife with creativity and innovation because they do not create artificial barriers. Humility is considered one of the most important traits to develop high mature leadership There are various definitions: the general one is to take our place and give space to others. The question for any leader is how much space should you take up in any situation, and how much do you make space for others? It requires great self-awareness, keep asking what is needed in this situation? Deep listen; make room for others to discover their own insights; or give room for their perspectives to emerge to the collective wisdom.The most destructive managers are the ones who know so little to believe that they know everything better than anyone else and these managers tend to micromanage everyone and never trust their employees. However, as for the good leaders, the more they learn, the more they appreciate how little they know. They empower their team members, respect their expertise and appreciate every team member's contribution to the overall success of the organization. A humble leadership encourages open and constructive communication, which leads to continuous improvement. These leaders are the ones who have the skills to lead people from 'within,' not 'above.


Are you curious to learn more? Truly curious leaders are more interested in what they don't know than just providing answers to show what they do know. Listening to others' input with the humility to accept it may be useful to facilitate deep empathy which, in turn, builds trust and respect. For example, highly educated subject matter experts who are open to the ideas of others demonstrate humility. They act as though anyone could have the best ideas and do not use their expertise to discount the value of contributions of others. It is high mature leadership that helps elevate the team and encourage others to rise to the challenge by believing everyone is capable. 'Being humbled means you are willing to look at your own actions as hard as you look at others. Being humble means you understand your own strengths and limitations and will look to others to help you get to your goal instead of going it alone. If you are humble, you are open to learning both about yourself, your team and new ideas. All are key traits of great leadership.


Humility allows one to understand oneself, understand others, strike the balance of being confidence and being humble, self-worth and the worth of others. In this way, one is able to be assertive and stay the course. Not lose focus and allow emotions to get in the way of teamwork and team growth, and take the continuous journey for improving leadership maturity.




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