Written by: Eric Handler

Humility – The First of Three Core Competencies of Leaders Worth Following

Humility is a rare and highly reliable indicator in Leaders Worth Following. It is one of the three core competencies we identified in The 2021 Edition of Leadership Competencies that Leaders Worth Following possess, and the quality that Socrates said was greatest of all.

Here we offer three ways to detect humility in a candidate, and believe you’ll see telltale signs of its presence or absence from the first meeting.

• Humble leaders are aware of their own gaps in skills and knowledge and surround themselves with people who possess what they lack. As a result, humble Leaders Worth Following regularly recognize in private and public the value and contribution of others.
• Humility relies less on one’s own charisma and confidence and more on the abilities that the Leader Worth Following knows she can ignite and inspire in others. That shows up in meetings as a leader who is motivated to listen deeply and alleviated from the need to offer opinions on every topic.
• Humble leaders have extinguished arrogance in themselves. Their words and actions naturally attract and align people to the vision. They lead by always taking responsibility for results and giving credit where due.A humble Leader Worth Following won’t wow you with his own greatness, but he may inspire you to see your own.

TAKE IT ONLINE: Share a time you detected humility in a candidate on our LinkedIn page.

Additional Resource: Click here for a 3-minute video of Nelson Mandela being interviewed by Oprah to detect humility in a leader who changed the world.