Be Humble!

Humble? What are your talking about Terry. I thought this was a leadership post. Well, it is, and in my opinion a great leader must be a humble leader.

Why is this so shocking? Well, I think that it is shocking in our culture because we are told that command is key. Or, leaders should be hard-nosed, aggressive types that could blow at anytime. I could not disagree with this perception more. Humility is one of those leadership traits you do not see as frequently as you should in my opinion. Humility is often perceived as a weakness when, in fact, it can be a tremendous asset. The leader who is humble rarely allows the power of their position to cloud their judgment. The leader who recognizes they are not perfect creates an environment where those around them feel comfortable making mistakes and taking chances.

If you are a humble leader then you know that you don’t have all the answers! And since you don’t have all the answers you look for the perfect opportunities to learn from others, which make them feel valuable.

Ok, I am not saying that you need to act stupid to be humble. There is no harm in someone walking away knowing you are knowledgeable so long as the process did not leave them feeling "less than you." Sharing your wisdom is important, but must be done in a way that "lifts the other person up."

“The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Matt 23:11-12

Slow down, take a deep breath and focus on being humble. Once you do this you will realize that it takes a lot of unnecessary effort to pretend that you know it all.