In this post I want to examine another quote from Ken Blanchard’s book The Heart of a Leader, which is absolutely filled with good guidance. The quote in question is shared by Blanchard and Norman Vincent Peale, and is taken from their coauthored book The Power of Ethical Management, another outstanding book. Their words are as follows, “People with humility don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less.”
Humility is a component of character that some might view as a weakness, especially those with overcharged ambition, but that I view as a strength. And this brings to mind a Hungarian proverb, “When ambition ends, happiness begins,” which in this instance I would alter to read, “when ambition is tempered with humility, all things are possible.” Doug Lennick and Fred Diel, in their article “Moral Intelligence for Successful Leadership,” in the spring 2006 issue of Leader to Leader, said something similar, “great leaders are both humble and ambitious.”
Although the buck stops at the corner office where the difficult decisions are made, no leader is omnipotent. No leader has all the answers. And, every leader makes mistakes. The day the leader forgets that they are but one piece of the puzzle through which progress can be made, is the day that such leaders begin to lose their ability to lead effectively. Humility is understanding that every piece of that puzzle is significant … no one piece more so than another. If any one of those puzzle pieces is missing, there is no perfect ending … no best-possible resolution. Effective leaders understand this and are fully willing to publicly embrace their vulnerability. This is when a true sense of possibility becomes a common thread within a team, a staff, an organization … when there is a top-down and down-up philosophy that none of us is perfect and that it takes all of us to move forward to the extent possible.
George Arliss, an 1800s – 1900s English actor, author, playwright and film-maker who had great success in America, said it far better than can I, “Humility is the only true wisdom by which we prepare our minds for all the possible changes of life.” To lack humility or to have an insufficient ability to be humble is to go through life with blinders on … seeing only what our own eyes reveal. Empowered and encouraged to participate by a leader’s humbleness, the vision of others can contribute a level of clarity that no single pair of eyes can envision. Genuine humbleness, and it absolutely must be genuine, is one of the keys to opening the door to the realm of possibilities.
Humbleness, believing as much in others as in oneself and being fully in touch with ones own vulnerabilities, is a strength from which personal and collaborative excellence can emanate. Humble leaders are those who set an example of accountability that, when replicated in others, can bread the kind of creative synergy that can overcome obstacles of any size. But, it all starts with being honestly humble.
Author Cross-references:
George Arliss: None
Ken Blanchard: Also see posts 9/9/09, 4/19/10
Steven H. Davis: Also see post 9/26/09, 5/26/10
Fred Diel: Also see post 1/2/09
Doug Lennick: Also see post 1/2/09
Norman Vincent Peale: None
Key Word Cross-references:
Ambitious: Also see post 1/2/09
Humility/Humbleness: Also see post 1/2/09
Tags: Leadership
on Leadership ... by Steven Davis, CAE 
Leave a comment