TAXMAN

The Power of Humility in the Workplace
Leading with humility means focusing on others and practicing servant leadership.
Humble leaders:
1. Put people first. There focus is on serving others. They do not get consumed by seeking out
more power. Instead, they seek more ways to help others.
2. Admit their mistakes. All leaders make mistakes. Humble leaders own up to them. They
don’t play the blame game when things go wrong. Instead they hold themselves accountable.
Vulnerability builds trust.
3. Share information and delegate. Humble leaders are aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
They realize that they cannot do everything. They delegate because the work is more important
than their ego.
4. Listen - They are approachable to employees and this allows them to create an environment of
open communication and effective feedback.
5. Do not hesitate to give credit where credit is due. They appreciate the contributions of others.
They are quick to recognize and reward the efforts of team members.
6. Are empathetic to those in their charge. They genuinely care about employees and employees
can feel this sincerity. Empathy allows them to build healthy relationships and bond with team
members.
7. Are authentic. They are the same person in every situation. This makes them trustworthy.
Authenticity goes hand in hand with integrity. They are individuals of integrity.
“No matter how educated, talented, rich or cool you believe you
are, how you treat people tells all. Integrity is everything.”
Humility doesn’t mean that leaders can’t make tough decisions. A humble leader should not
be mistaken for a weak one. It takes strength, courage, and wisdom to practice humility. I have
learned that the best leaders are selfless and more concerned with the well-being of their team
than with personal titles or status symbols. Easily offended managers with inflated egos don’t
build strong teams. You cannot be an effective leader if you feel that you are better than your
subordinates. No one likes dealing with self-aggrandizers (Boasters). Arrogance is a deterrent,
it destroys relationships and lowers employee morale whereas genuine humility has a way of
winning others over.
Good leaders empower. Bad ones micromanage. It is dreadful to work under a manager who
is more worried about pushing their weight around than building relationships. The role of
any leader within a corporate framework is to build up the team and to encourage growth. If
you want employees to be committed to the organization; Managers/ Bosses need to show that
they respect and value staff. This takes humility. For loyalty, there has to be a relationship that
develops between employee and employer and this develops over time through trust that gets
built and sustained. Once people trust you, they will follow your leadership. You won’t need to
display your title to get them to do the best possible job.
People might tolerate a boring job or small pay, but they are more likely to leave if their boss
treats them poorly.
Humble leaders get the best from people. They have more influence, they retain top talent, and
they earn more respect and loyalty than those who rely upon ego and power.
Want to be a good team leader/boss? Start by taking a slice or two of this humble pie!
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