practising humility in leadership

What does it mean to practise humility?

This question was the basis of our conversation at my regular Cambium Circle lunch last week.

It was a rich discussion where we explored what humilty meant to each of us and why it was important to our roles as leaders.

Being humble enough to listen to others opens our minds and gives us opportunities to grow and learn.

We discussed how humility is an important part of connecting with others, both to understand their needs and to get buy-in for ideas.

When humility is genuine, not robotic, it allows us to build meaningful connections.

We also talked about how humility breaks down arrogance and how it takes courage to admit that you don't have all the answers, especially when you're in a role where others look up to you. Being willing to hear the voices of others who you work with is imporant to inclusion and to gaining the diverse inputs that allow us to make the best decisions.

There were some practical ideas, too, on how to put ourselves in other people's shoes. Importantly, this didn't mean 'What would I do in that situation?' Instead it meant humbly seeing the situation from another's perspective. Some suggestions included: watching movies in other languages and putting yourself into environments where you are a minority so that you can see how it feels.

Another important point drawn out of the discussion was that practising humility doesn't mean allowing people to walk all over us, instead, we need to balance courage with respect and know when it's time to step up and make a decision.

To actively nurture our leadership capabilities, self-reflection is important. We can do this through own time-out, or through a regular practice such as journalling. If we're really brave, we can record ourselves and listen back to it, to see how well we really listened to others!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this month's Cambium Circle conversation.

It's a privilege to learn and be inspired by those we spend time with.

Cambium Circle lunches are held monthly. These are free events and everyone is welcome.

If you’d like to join the conversation you can find details of upcoming events here.