Hello Sherman,
I thought you post was thought out and gave great examples. Personality was something I
learned years ago that is critical for someone in management. Sometimes front line management
positions it is not even about knowledge by how employees are managed. The lack of being
humble can often hurt a manager and stunt their professional growth. By being a humble leader a
manager is able to recognize their employee’s strengths and efforts and then gain a greater
appreciation for them. Humility is at the heart of a good leader and a successful leader will be
able to demonstrate humility by listening, learning and asking questions to get their employees
the help and resources they need to be successful within their role. According to Lin, Chen, et
(2017) “Rather than telling employees how to do their jobs better, start by asking them how you
can help them do their jobs better. But the effects of this approach can be powerful.”
Humility is shown not just how a leader deals with their employees but it is also something
that is shown with how the leader views themselves. A leader has to realize they are as successful
as their team(s) are and the success is not all about them but the performance of their employees.
Humility is shown with little things such as good morning, how are you doing today?, and
genuine interest when communicating with an employee by giving them ones full attention and
making direct eye contact. According to Sousa & Dierendonck (2017) “humility prevents
excessive self-focus and allows for an understanding of oneself, in addition to perspective of
one’s relationship with others.” Philippians 2:3-4 (KJV) says “Regard one another as more
important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for
the interests of others.” A humble leader will be able to look at an employee more than that but
also look at them as individual just like them
Servant leadership if often thought to be when a leader performs a task that an employee does
to show they are not afraid to get their hands dirty, but that is not it. Servant leaders spending
time finding ways to enable their employees perform better and getting the best out of them.
Matthew 20:26-28 (KJV) says:
“But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your
minister. And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant. Even as the Son of
man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” I
believe that some leaders can be naturally a humble person. But a leader that is a Christian who
prays and is led by God should be able to exemplify the true meaning of servant leadership since
they will have the love of God in their heart and will be led through scripture and prayers to have
the perfect blend of being humble and caring for others.
Reference
Lin, X., Chen, Z. X., Tse, H. H. M., Wei, W., & Ma, C. (2017). Why and when employees like to
speak up more under humble leaders? The roles of personal sense of power and power
distance. Journal of Business Ethics, doi:10.1007/s10551-017-3704-2
Sousa, M., & Dierendonck, D. (2017). Servant leadership and the effect of the interaction
between humility, action, and hierarchical power on follower engagement. Journal of
Business Ethics, 141(1), 13-25. doi:10.1007/s10551-015-2725-y
