I believe that humility is not an attribute that we can bolt on, it has to be built in. I can repeat the mantra, “I am humble,” fifty times a day, but if I do not demonstrate humility in the way that I think, act and behave, I am merely playing to the audience. It is not a lived experience.
Whenever a leader declares his or her humility, more so when it’s brandished in public like a trophy, this sounds to me like a self-promotional shout out and often gives me pause. I am even less impressed, when the individual’s behaviours are at odds with the declaration and that the declaration is about the individual trying to elevate the currency of his or her public brand. All this does is devalue the nobility associated with humility.
I believe that humility is not an attribute that we can bolt on, it has to be built in.
On one level, I think of humility as the ability to be modest about one’s personal and professional currency or value, whilst on another level, humility becomes that special essence of acceptance of one’s insignificance, in the grand scheme of life. It’s easy to be modest, that’s the bolt on part, one doesn’t have to believe it, a believable performance will suffice. Personifying the essence of insignificance, is quite another story.
A sense of humanity is the underpinning of humility. When individuals extend acts of kindness to each other, show empathy and go out of their way to sow seeds of goodwill, that’s humanity at its finest. When an individual’s life is the embodiment of these gestures, his or her humanity transcends to a level that places on show, the true meaning of being “of service to others.”
Of the many local and regional workplace cultures that I’ve come across, few distinguish themselves by way of the effective pairing of humility and humanity. This may be due largely to the fact that these virtues are not promoted heavily as cultural norms in the western hemisphere, compared to their heavy observance in eastern cultures. Furthermore, they may present as spiritual norms in the personal lives of individuals but aren’t naturally occurring in the cut and thrust of work cultures.
The humanity and humility profile of a business, affects the level of hospitality that it exhibits.
The humanity and humility profile of a business, affects the level of hospitality that it exhibits. In other words, a proliferation of modesty, kindness and empathy, will act as propellants of a hospitable environment, which, in turn, will create the customer appreciation scaffolding needed to generate positive customer outcomes.
In the diffusing of these critical elements, leadership actions matter.
When a leader’s greatness begins to mushroom, it’s easy to fall into the trap of nurturing a continually expanding appetite for self-aggrandizement. Authentic humility and humanity become check valves that mitigate runaway immodesty and shameless egotism. This paves the way for the emergence of a workplace that is a less frenetic and more hospitable environment, where both employee and customer care flourish.
In the diffusing of these critical elements, leadership actions matter.
The personality of a business has its roots in the more dominant predilections of its leaders, who set the tone and density of humility and humanity signals in their workplaces. If the leaders are big on risk, growth and expansion, the signals that are released, will centre around animating a competitive spirit in the workplace; an outcome that may not always be synonymous with care and compassion.
On the other hand, leaders who have initiated their journeys of self-discovery and transcendence, begin to lean into becoming better versions of themselves and by extension, send signals that constrain chaos, promote cultural composure and nurture employee well-being in their workplaces.
If the leaders are big on releasing brilliance, the signals that are released will centre around animating human creativity and ideation, creating an environment where service virtuosity amongst the wider employee community, can thrive.
The personality of a business has its roots in the more dominant predilections of its leaders, who set the tone and density of humility and humanity signals in their workplaces.
As a business begins its ascent to becoming a better version of itself, the ultimate centrepiece of its transformation will be leaders paving the way for compassionate customer care to become the norm.
Case in point, was my recent dinner experience at a local restaurant. The server with whom we were familiar, was genuinely happy to welcome my friends and me. Apart from being extremely knowledgeable about the artisanal dishes on the menu, this server exudes an air of modesty (humility) and becomes engrossed with attention to the details that will make her customers’ dining experience pleasurable (humanity). This made for an extremely hospitable environment, and we felt appreciated. Needless to say, we were generous in showing our appreciation, as well.