Why is humility so relevant for leaders and can it be developed through coaching?

Abstract

Purpose

When we think of a successful leader, we typically recall those powerful personalities we see in the media, and there have been many over the decades. They propel a company to stardom with a winning strategy, publish books, do the speaker circuits and everyone celebrates their achievements. They were undoubtedly successful, but therein lies the issue. They were successful. Things are different now. The current global landscape means problems encountered in business are increasingly complex and require a collaborative approach to solving them. No one person has all the right answers. Trial and error, embracing failure, accepting criticism and learning from past mistakes are really the only ways to succeed. And they require leaders to possess a very different set of personality traits, with humility now being one of the most important.

Design/methodology/approach

There is a paradox here between the need to develop greater humility and aspire to becoming “unsung heroes” when we are in an age where charismatic, often egocentric, leaders have celebrity status. Why is humility as a trait so important today? Is it relevant across the management spectrum, e.g. for junior/middle managers spotted as high potentials and wishing to climb the ladder, or is it simply important right at the very top of an organisation? What do HR practitioners need to know? What can HR practitioners do to develop the required levels of humility in their managers/leaders? Can you learn to become more humble through coaching? What really works in practice?

Findings

As a leadership coach, the author is often asked whether it is possible to coach an individual to develop humility, and the short answer is yes, it is possible to be coached. Most people already have humility inside them, but many leaders have learned to behave in the opposite way and adopt the traditional “hero” persona instead. They will tend to only display it if there’s a genuinely humble culture permeating the organisation from the top. Get that right and any developmental issues will typically take care of themselves. This paper explains how to take these initial steps.

Originality/value

This is useful for all HR professionals responsible for learning and development strategy in their organisations, including those who provide or specify leadership coaching as an intervention.

Citation

Aziz, K. (2019), "Why is humility so relevant for leaders and can it be developed through coaching?", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 30-33. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-10-2018-0088