Leading with Humility

Humble leadership, sometimes referred to as “servant leadership,” offers an alternative to the egotism that so often goes hand in hand with power, and enables leaders to make a positive difference in the lives of their team members.

By “humility” I mean holding a modest opinion or estimation of your own importance, rank, and such. In a leader, this means accepting that you don’t have all the answers, and choosing and rewarding team members who can bring their own strengths and ideas to the table. By stepping back and making space for their team members to contribute meaningfully, humble leaders bring out the best in others and foster a culture of growth. They make an effort to connect with their team instead of merely treating them as a means to an end.

Leaders set the emotional tone for their organizations. And this in turn has consequence for how well organizational goals are met. The brain’s social system responds to events like a leader’s angry outburst in a meeting and tunes itself accordingly–making emotions contagious.

This contagion from leader to team was identified by Sigal Barsade in a series of studies at the Yale School of Management. She found that if a team leader was in a negative mood, team members caught that mood and their performances tanked. If the leader was upbeat, members became energized and performance shot up.

More recently, research published in the Academy of Management Journal found that humility is also contagious, and that humble leaders foster collective humility on their teams. These team members were more motivated to do their best work and to value the contributions of the group.

Empathy is Crucial

The philosopher Martin Buber warned against the “thingification” of people–the corrosive depersonalization of relationships. Buber’s message for us today cautions against indifference to how others feel, even suffer, and using social skills for purely selfish ends. And it commends the stance that empathizes and cares, and that takes responsibility for others as well as for oneself. This is the essence of humble leadership.

Buber termed interactions in which one person feels no empathy for the other person “I-It” interactions. This stance views the other not as a multifaceted person, but as an “it” who only serves a function. The emotional indifference and remoteness of an I-It relationship stands in direct contrast to an attuned “I-You” (or “I and Thou” as Buber called it). I-You relationships necessitate empathy, or “feeling felt.”

How to Become a Humble Leader

To harness the positive power of emotional contagion and empathize with others, certain emotional intelligence competencies are vital. With self-awareness, leaders can understand that they don’t have all the answers and share their mistakes. They can also draw attention to others’ contributions and strengths (teamwork) and actively seek employees’ ideas and expertise. And, of course, empathy will be essential.

Here’s a tip for putting this into action: leaders can create low-stakes opportunities for employees to try out new ideas, and offer their guidance as necessary (coach and mentor). For instance, a leader can ask employees what changes would improve their work and outcomes. And when these ideas have potential, they can offer support and resources and encourage employees to experiment.

Creating a learning culture–in which both leaders and employees have room for growth–comes naturally with humble leadership. For example, by utilizing the coaching leadership style, leaders can connect with employees to learn what their interests and goals are, as well as what new skills could enhance their work. Then, the leader might help them devote time each day to learning through an online course or the guidance of a senior team member.

Above all, humble leadership emphasizes the importance of shared achievement above personal gain. And since humility is contagious, implementing these ideas can help you foster humility, collaboration, and innovation across your team and improve the bottom line as well.