Up Your Business is an exclusive GEARS Magazine feature where I share stories, insights, and reflections about business and life. Who hasn’t had to eat a slice or two of Humble Pie at some point? In fact, if Humble Pie were fattening, I’d be morbidly obese. But have you ever thought of humility as a leadership attribute?
In last month’s article, “Follow the Leader,” I discussed Servant Leadership. In this article, I’ll explain why I feel humility is vital to successful leadership – especially Servant Leadership.
In the Bible, Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction and arrogance before a fall.” Ironically, even though many prideful, arrogant people find their way into leadership roles, humility eventually trumps pride when it comes to results. This may seem counterintuitive; so, let’s explore this idea together.
HUMILITY VERSUS HUMILIATION
In the Spring of 1993, while I was visiting ATRA’s home office in Oxnard, California, one of the young hotline techs asked to speak with me privately. The young man was shy, quiet, and unassuming. He explained that he had just been offered the position of Technical Director for ATRA. Of course, I immediately congratulated him, but he expressed apprehension about taking the promotion because, as he said, “I’ve never managed anyone. I’ve always just been a technician, and frankly, I’m just one of the guys. I don’t know how they’ll feel about me suddenly becoming their supervisor.”
He was clearly concerned about failing and, potentially, being humiliated. I told him that there’s a difference between humility and humiliation, and his thoughtful hesitation was a sign of being humble. I assured him that humility would be his greatest asset for becoming a successful leader and manager. I told him that one of the most important attributes of a good leader is humility.
While prideful people can be humiliated, humble people seldom are. I recently interviewed Butch Novatney, the retiring owner of B&B Transmissions, for the “Shop Profile” that appears on page 48 of this issue of GEARS. During the interview, Butch described himself as humble. He explained humility with this simple statement, “A man with a short ladder has less distance to fall.” Thanks, Butch. I can’t think of a better way to make my point!
WHAT ABOUT THAT HOTLINE TECH?
As a reader of GEARS and a member of ATRA, you know that young man. Yes, he accepted the position of Technical Director and excelled in the role. He’s since gone on to become the CEO of ATRA, successfully leading the association through the “Dot Bomb Era,” the “Great Recession,” and now, the aftermath of “COVID-19.”
If you haven’t already figured it out, I’m talking about Dennis Madden. Over the past 27 years, I’ve watched Dennis grow into a remarkable leader. He’s even recently published a book on leadership called Follow the Loser – How Abject Failures Can Lead a Revolution. It exposes the leadership secrets of nine of the most ruthlessly contemptible leaders of the past two centuries. He examines how the likes of Hitler, Marx, Mussolini, and cult leaders like Charles Manson and Jim Jones deceived their followers while gaining their support. It’s available online in hardback, paperback, and digital download versions. Congratulations Dennis!
However, I was curious how ATRA’s employees felt about Dennis as a leader. When I asked some members of ATRA’s home office team what they think is Dennis’s most admirable trait, they replied with words like kind, gentle, fair, calm, caring, charismatic, generous with praise, and gives credit rather than taking credit. Even though the word humble wasn’t on the list, when I said, “Humble,” they responded, “Yeah, humble. That’s it!”
WHY HUMILITY MATTERS
Let’s look in greater detail at how humility plays a role in successful leadership. When we think of some of the most outstanding business leaders of our time, we often think of those with the biggest personalities, many of whom have big egos to go along with it. While words that often go along with prideful leadership might include bold, strong, charismatic, or courageous, this type of leader is often successful despite themselves. Humility isn’t the absence of courage, strength, charisma, and boldness. Humility combines with these traits, making them more effective.
The question is, does the leader command respect from employees working beneath them? Now, when I say command respect, I’m not talking about fear and obedience – that would be more like demanding respect. I’m talking about the type of respect employees give when a leader truly values their opinions and abilities – the kind of respect that comes with trust and working alongside one another with integrity.
Although humility isn’t the first trait we usually think of when we’re talking about leadership traits, there are studies, including one conducted in 2018 by a major university, that have proven that teams with a humble leader typically perform better. The study concluded that there could be several reasons for this. First, humble leaders tend to have and promote a greater degree of integrity in their relationships. Also, those who lead with humility are generally more approachable, inclusive, and trustworthy. Alternatively, a leader who exhibits pride and arrogance tends to leave employees feeling belittled and taken for granted when delegating a project to them. Proud leaders often tend to steal the credit and “showboat” their successes and accomplishments, leading to disconnects with team members, diminished trust, and overall low business morale.
Whether you own a shop, manage a shop, or take on both roles (as many small shop owners do), there are several things you can do to lead your team with humility and integrity without giving up your authority. First and foremost, make sure your team understands that you’re “human” and just as fallible as they are. A leader who won’t fess up when they make a mistake or expects their employees to work without errors is looked upon by employees as the worst kind of boss. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from employees when you’re overwhelmed — a good, humble leader knows how and when to ask for help and delegate with encouragement and without arrogance.
If you tend to be the type of boss that likes to brag about your wins and accomplishments, stop. If you brag to your employees about growth in your business or achievements in your personal life, stop. Most people find this type of talk arrogant, and most of the time, they usually don’t believe it anyhow. If you have wins, make sure you celebrate them with the employees, emphasizing that they made those wins possible. If you suffer a loss or failure, accept responsibility rather than looking for someone to blame.
Humility in leadership includes acting with integrity in all that you do. It’s especially the case with delegating and collaborating. While delegation is an essential part of leading your team, humble leaders encourage collaboration. When collaborating, be open to constructive criticism and fresh ideas from your staff. View all your employees as equals whenever you’re seeking their involvement in the creative process.
For instance, if you have plans for making some future changes with your shop, don’t fail to discuss them and then just impose them on the team. Where’s the integrity and trust going to come from in this scenario? Instead, consider involving your team in the process and getting their buy-in rather than arrogantly announcing the changes.
Unlike when someone falls short of your expectations operationally, and you redirect them to get them up to speed, when you’re collaborating, you must respect their ideas and value their contributions equally. Without collaboration, teams can become divided, stale, and morale can drop at an alarming rate. That doesn’t mean that you must use their ideas, but you need to honor that they offered them.
Lastly, humble leaders serve their employees and help them reach their goals. They surround themselves with people who can perform even better than themselves. Whether that means working with apprentices directly to get them to where they need to be or enlisting your top employees to help them improve, it’s important to remember that the more your team grows, the more your business grows.
Humble leaders give themselves a better chance to get ahead. Humble leadership promotes high morale, greater loyalty and reduces turnover. And ultimately, when your team feels like they’re working with you instead of for you, your customers receive better service and are more likely to keep coming back and referring others to your business.
Being humble doesn’t mean that you think less of yourself. It means that you think of yourself less. So, the next time you feel tempted to get all puffed up and take the credit for a win or blame someone else for a loss, check your “humility meter.” You might be setting yourself up for a large serving of Humble Pie.
About the Author
Thom Tschetter has served our industry for nearly four decades as a management and sales educator. He owned a chain of award-winning transmission centers in Washington State for over 25 years.
He calls on over 30 years of experience as a speaker, writer, business consultant, and certified arbitrator for topics for this feature column.
Thom is always eager to help you improve your business and your life. You can contact him by phone at (480) 773-3131 or e-mail to coachthom@gmail.com.
