Why humility is a sign of strength

Humility is not a virtue that typically characterises powerful people, whether politicians, business leaders or intellectuals, who tend to associate it with the also-rans of this world. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche inspired the concept of modern charismatic leadership -the idea of the "superman"- and believed that humility is the response of the weak to avoid the wrath of the powerful.

In most religions, pride – as opposed to humility – remains one of the cardinal sins. Lucifer's fall is due to his arrogance in challenging God, and he assumes his punishment with recalcitrance, declaring it is better to live in hell as a master in hell than in heaven as a servant, in the words of poet John Milton.

Similarly, in the book of Genesis, God punishes the builders of the Tower of Babel for their arrogance in aspiring to reach the heavens, condemning them to speak in different languages - the biblical origin of linguistic diversity. A more charitable interpretation of both cases would be that they were overly ambitious rather than arrogant.

In Greek mythology, Icarus’s ambition led him and his father Daedalus to build wings made of feathers and wax, and to take flight from the labyrinth of the Minotaur, located on the island of Crete. Disregarding his father's instructions, boastful Icarus flew too close to the sun, the wax melted and he plummeted into the sea near the island of Samos. Perhaps Icarus' behavior today would have been described as disruptive and innovative, and he might well have been hired by Elon Musk or Richard Branson for their space ventures.

As said, the traditional concept of humility, associating it with prudence, conformism and submission, means it tends to be rejected by leaders. However, humility is not the same as blind obedience. Humility is the recognition of one's limitations, and leads to self-improvement. Rather than limiting our scope, it helps us achieve our goals: Teresa of Jesus, the religious mystic of the Spanish Golden Age, believed that "humility is truth".

For Aristotle, the virtues lie in the middle ground, placing humility between the extremes of insecurity and inferiority at one extreme, and arrogance, vanity or pride at the other. On this spectrum, arrogant people are more annoying than those who are  self-conscious, because they are more visible and audible, making their presence hard to bear. 

Business schools have sometimes been criticized for encouraging arrogance in MBA students. When I hear this, I reply that not all business schools share the same values, nor do they select or prepare their students in the same way. In any case, the existence of this criticism is reason enough to revisit the learning model and the contents of our teaching, and try to train more committed and modest entrepreneurs. There is an element of service in business, and failure to understand this typically leads to failure.

The fundamental value of humility for entrepreneurs and business people is that it provides a more objective and realistic view of the world. Arrogance provides a shield against other people's ideas, rejecting innovation and obstructing self-criticism, thus success results in pride, and failure in complacency.

One of the sessions I remember most vividly from the International Teacher's Program, a highly successful training course for business school teachers in Europe a few years ago, was a meeting with the great strategist Sumantra Ghoshal, who had analyzed the typical response of large corporations when things are not going well. Poor results are often the result of the same level of sales but declining profit. In many cases, this trend is confirmed and a slippery slope begins that is difficult to reverse, because it depends not only on the company concerned, but also on interaction with competitors and customers. In these cases, Ghoshal explained, senior management tends to become complacent and avoid responsibility, with the blame being shifted to external factors. Even the hackneyed argument about product or market maturity is used. Ghoshal used the term "satisfactory underperformance” to describe this process, a nice irony that captures the arrogance of many CEOs and directors.

A truth known to all, although not always assimilated, is that today's success does not guarantee tomorrow's victory. Looking back over my career, I sometimes ask myself if my achievements are enough to maintain my reputation and guarantee my future, to which I normally tell myself that a career is a long-distance race, and is never really over.  As the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland pointed out, even to stay in the same place, we have to keep moving. Sometimes I think of the roller coaster analogy to represent the relative arbitrariness of a career: there are ups and downs, not necessarily related to personal effort or work. Luck, moreover, plays an important role.

In short, a measure of humility and modesty is essential for keeping a level head over the years. In the first place, because things rarely turn out as we plan or imagine them, and also because humility will allow us to see other perspectives and other angles, especially if we exercise the opportune habit of listening.

Some of the great teachers I have had the good fortune to meet in my career possessed the gift of listening, a sign of their genuine humility. I remember two episodes that made an impact on me. The first was with Herbert L.A. Hart, former Professor of Jurisprudence and one of my tutors at University College, whom I had the opportunity to drive – on the left - through the Oxfordshire countryside. He was an octogenarian by then, but retained a prodigious mind, an affectionate and detail-oriented man. We had lunch on several occasions, and I remember how he asked questions about Spain, about our culture, about my doctoral work, about my plans for the future. Generally, such wise and experienced people are usually talkative, rarely asking, let alone listening to a young student. Most of the fellows I dealt with at Oxford were prone to cantankerousness. On the other hand, Hart knew Spanish history in depth - he had assisted the Republican army in the Civil War, and kept up to date on Spanish politics and economics. His generosity of heart, caring style and elegant manners provided me with lessons I still value over the years.

The other episode occurred during my first meeting with architect and Pritzker Prize winner Sir Norman Foster. At that time we were creating IE School of Architecture and Design, and were seeking expert advice for the mission, programs and faculty of the future school. Lord Foster listened to me for almost 40 minutes, without interrupting me or asking questions, attentive and fixing me with his gaze. Eventually, he intervened and then spoke for an equivalent amount of time. I remember his advice, and some of his phrases almost verbatim. One of the lessons I learned from that meeting, which I have tried to practice since, is not to talk for too long - two or three minutes at the most - in the first meeting with a person. To go on for longer than that often means descending to chitchat and can be seen as an expression of vanity and arrogance, whereas listening reflects modesty, and is a sign of intelligence.

How do you react when someone starts to tell you something you already know, about a character, a place, or your own field of work? Do you interrupt to say: "I already know what you are telling me"? I have always considered that keeping quiet and listening in these situations is a sign of humility and refinement, and that is why I usually try to restrain myself, even if I know the story well, or even if I have been the protagonist of the episode being told. With age and experience, this will happen more frequently, and we will find ourselves in déjà vu situations again and again. A good opportunity to exercise modesty.

A professor at IE University recently asked me what advice to pass on to students to give them self-confidence as opposed to arrogance. In short, how to maintain that Aristotelian balance between the two undesirable extremes. Allow me to close with a few recommendations.

• First, preparation. Knowing one’s subject confers security, and indicates a mastery of the matter in hand. A lack of foresight, of having worked on a meeting or a presentation, even if we have experience in the matter, is an expression of arrogance and often leads to failure. Improvisation is a gift that also requires work. I am often reminded of Mark Twain's quote: "To improvise well, I need at least two weeks.”

• Second, sportsmanship. If you are offended when things don't go as you would have liked, you may not assimilate the lesson. It is preferable to maintain the attitude of the apprentice who continues to learn throughout life, and to consider failures and mistakes as learning opportunities.

• Speak up and participate in meetings, interviews, social gatherings. Humility does not mean mute acceptance of the status quo; rather, quiet self-confidence empowers us to play a leading role. 

• Encourage diversity in your dealings with others, and think about how you can include as wide a range of outlooks and input in business. They will allow you to look at problems from different perspectives, to step outside your own perspective, and to cultivate modesty.

• And finally, a tip from Rosabeth Moss Kanter, the organizational behavior expert. Don't try to do everything yourself. Especially if you have managerial responsibilities, you have to learn to delegate and to trust other people.

Reality always puts us in our place, which is usually not center stage.

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Image: Jacob Peter GOWY, The Fall of Icarus, after a painting of Peter Paul Rubens, Prado Museum (Madrid, Spain)

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