Susan Zelinski’s The Zen of Business. The Business of Zen.

Leadership With Humility: Redefining Powerful Leaders

Posted under Leadership, The Zen of Business ☯ May 13th, 2009

You became a leader by displaying strong competencies that drive for results and create a competitive edge. You focus on mission critical strategies and leverage relationships. These are all very important and very powerful characteristics of effective leaders.

Simple truth is, if you practice all of these competencies without humility, you will not be a person people want to follow. If you lead with humility, you will actually be a stronger, more powerful leader.

Historical connotations of humility bring images of weakness, lowliness, and indigence. However, if we consider the true meaning of humility, as defined through most philosophical and spiritual definitions, humility is about a state of “non-self” or letting go of your ego.When you come from a place of non-self, you are free from self-deception and grow in compassion and wisdom to build a better team as well as see risks and opportunities more clearly.

Here’s what leading without humility can result in:

• Following through on bad decisions so you don’t have to admit you were wrong.
• Alienating employees and shutting them down, perhaps while never realizing it!
• Not asking for help when you need it.
• Lying, (smoke and mirrors and omission count!) to ensure that which serves your self interest best. This, by the way, is always detected by employees, and in the end destroys trust.
• Creating cliques where the employees who align with you are a protected, insular group, while those who are not from your mold are marginalized, regardless of the talent they bring to the table.
• Loosing all diversity of thought, approach, and style on your team because your dominance is stifling.

Here’s what leading with humility can result in:

• The ability to correct course because you’re willing to admit and learn from your mistakes.
• Asking for help when you need it. Humility enables you to recognize that you can’t do it alone and need others to succeed.
• Employees who are empowered and skilled because you’re stepping aside when appropriate, to let them learn to lead.
• Always telling the truth, even when it’s difficult – which shines like a beacon in today’s business environment. Employees will trust you for it. People are willing to follow someone they believe in.
• Leveraging all the the skills, views, creative thinking, and styles on your team to arrive at innovative solutions and new ways to serve your customers.
• Serving your team. You are thoughtful of their needs and willing to do what is necessary for them to succeed.
• Creating an inclusive environment. Humilty enables you to consider others to be as important as yourself, creating an environment where all your employees feel like they belong to something greater.
• When great things are accomplished, humility reminds you to be thankful instead of boastful. Recognition and appreciation motivate associates to deliver on the promises your organization makes to your customers.
• When the noise of your own ego is quieted, you begin to hear others – you can truly listen to what needs to happen next for your employees, your business, and your customers.

Choose to lead with humility – now that’s powerful!

I’d love to hear your perspective and always welcome comments!

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