Trust yourself, trust your intuition, have a vision for, and be intentional about how you show up to lead. This offers a solid foundation for your impact and influence.
Seeking feedback on how others experience you and your actions is key to being humble. And being open and vulnerable to the feedback you receive is a critical part of the process.
Certified to use The Leadership Circle 360 assessment, I’ve found it to be an amazing, and powerful feedback assessment grounded in Integral Leadership philosophy that helps leaders to be more authentic.
This is part 2 of the 3-part series on Humility by Diana Gabriel, Certified Strengths Strategy Coach.
In the classic book Good to Great, Jim Collins describes a Level 5 leader as an individual who blends extreme personal humility with intense professional will. You can read about these stellar leadership behaviors in my previous post.
According to Collins’ research study, executives who possess this seemingly paradoxical combination of traits are catalysts for the statistically exceptional event of transforming a good company into a great one.
So what does leadership humility look like? Humility has nothing to do with being meek, weak, or indecisive. It is not simple courtesy or an especially kind or friendly demeanor. Nor does it necessarily entail shunning publicity or the spotlight.
Effective leaders authentically express and connect with others through their humanity. They aren’t afraid to appear humble or vulnerable. And, as the research shows, humility contributes to leading others from good to great and through building a culture of trust.
There are many ways to develop leadership talents, but few programs address how to develop humility and vulnerability. Humility is not something you’re born with, yet you can acquire it through self-examination, reflection and being open to receiving feedback.
Some suggestions for developing or deepening humility are:
1. Ask for a 360 Review
Anonymous feedback from the people who surround you can be scary, affirming, and very helpful. But as Ann Landers wrote: “Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.”
Find out how your self-perception differs from other’s experience of you. It’s one of the ways you receive feedback for developing a growth and development plan. It’s also valuable practice in being open to learning how others experience you.
2. Get a Coach
Another way to discover what you don’t know or are blind to is to work with a trusted person like a coach who can objectively hold up a mirror of your behavior. We all have blind spots and weaknesses. The only real liability lies in not being open to discovering what they are and not learning how to manage or mitigate them.
Fast Company reports 43% of CEOs and 71% of senior executives say they’ve worked with a coach. And 92% of leaders being coached say they plan to use a coach again.
How open are you to honest feedback about how others are experiencing you? If you’re interested in expanding your capacity as a leader and are curious about how coaching and The Leadership Circle 360 assessment can be helpful to you as a leader connect with me and let’s talk. You can reach me here and on LinkedIn.
Diana Gabriel, PPC
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