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Executives are routinely lauded for their decisiveness and
bold vision. They chart the course and people willingly fol-low.
In fact, senior leaders are afforded almost rock star
status both inside and outside their organizations. They are
seen as the pinnacle of strength.
Survey research supports this assertion. As David Marcum
and Steven Smith noted in their book Egonomics: What Makes
Ego Our Greatest Asset (or Most Expensive Liability), when people
are asked to list words most commonly associated with leadership,
humility is found at the very bottom. However, emerging research
suggests that leaders benefit tremendously from eating their share
of humble pie.
WHAT IS HUMILITY?
Based on extensive research on the characteristics of humble
leaders, SUNY Buffalo professor Bradley Owens came to three
conclusions. Humble leaders:
■■ Acknowledge their personal limits and faults while simultaneously
taking responsibility for their mistakes.
■■ Model teachability and are exemplars of learning.
■■ Acknowledge the strengths, contributions, unique skills and
knowledge of their team members. In doing so, people are
engaged and motivated to perform.
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Do Good to Lead Well
THE POWER OF HUMILITY
By Craig Dowden
Rotate the chair of meetings
from time to time, letting each
team member take turns
leading discussions for the day
HRPROFESSIONALNOW.CA ❚ CONFERENCE ISSUE 2019 ❚ 35
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