Humility, leadership and the real world

Humility is considered a Christian virtue, but is often considered irrelevant to the corporate world. "You can be humble in church, but the real world calls for a more aggressive attitude."

Yet the wisdom of humility in leadership has been highlighted and reinforced by some recent thinkers.

The following is from an article titled, "Humility: The Most Beautiful Word in the English Language." It's written by Bruna Martinuzzi

"These leaders (of top companies as described in Colin's bestseller"Good to Great") are a complex, paradoxical mix of intense professional will and extreme personal humility. They will create superb results but shun public adulation, and are never boastful. They are described as modest....

We often confuse humility with timidity. Humility is not clothing ourselves in an attitude of self-abasement or self-denigration. Humility is all about maintaining our pride about who we are, about our achievements, about our worth - but without arrogance - it is the antithesis of hubris, that excessive, arrogant pride which often leads to the derailment of some corporate heroes, as it does with the downfall of the tragic hero in Greek drama. It's about a quiet confidence without the need for a meretricious selling of our wares. It's about being content to let others discover the layers of our talents without having to boast about them. It's a lack of arrogance, not a lack of aggressiveness in the pursuit of achievement....

Humility is also a meta-virtue. It crosses into an array of principles. For example, we can safely declare that there cannot be authenticity without humility. Why? Because, there is always a time in a leader's journey when one will be in a situation of not having all the answers. Admitting this and seeking others' input requires some humility.

Another mark of a leader who practices humility is his or her treatment of others. Such leaders treat everyone with respect regardless of position. Years ago, I came across this reference: the sign of a gentleman is how he treats those who can be of absolutely no use to him.

Something interesting happens, too, when we approach situations from a perspective of humility: it opens us up to possibilities, as we choose open-mindedness and curiosity over protecting our point of view. We spend more time in that wonderful space of the beginner's mind, willing to learn from what others have to offer. We move away from pushing into allowing, from insecure to secure, from seeking approval to seeking enlightenment. We forget about being perfect and we enjoy being in the moment."

All this reminds me of Luke 1:52, "He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble."

For anyone living in the 'real world' it's a challenge to maintain humility. Especially when it seems as though the arrogant advance and get their own way. Yet God's wisdom stands firm and true humility is worth living out in spite of what others may do.