1. Humility: the leadership strength we still underestimate

Humility has an image problem.

In many leadership contexts, being humble is still associated with being unsure, soft, or lacking authority. Something you might value privately, but hesitate to show once expectations rise and decisions get heavier.

I see the opposite in my work.

The leaders who have the most impact are rarely the loudest or the most certain. They are the ones who stay grounded when things get complex. Who don’t confuse confidence with having all the answers. Who are willing to look at themselves honestly — especially when it’s uncomfortable.

Humility, in that sense, has very little to do with shrinking.
It has everything to do with accuracy.

Humility is not weakness. It’s reality-based leadership.

Most senior leaders are rewarded for projecting certainty.
But modern organisations punish false certainty quickly.

When leaders can’t say “I might be wrong,” teams stop correcting them.
When leaders can’t say “I don’t know yet,” people start guessing.
And when leaders can’t acknowledge limits, others fill the gap with silence, politics, or overcontrol.

Humility interrupts that pattern.

Not by stepping back, but by staying close to reality:

• recognising that your view is always partial

• staying curious when your reflex is to defend

• taking feedback seriously without losing authority

This is the part that’s often missed: humility takes backbone.
It’s easier to perform confidence than to lead with accuracy.

What humility looks like in practice

In day-to-day leadership, humility is rarely dramatic. It shows up quietly, in moments that often go unnoticed.

It sounds like:

• “This is my current view — what might I be missing?”

• “I made an assumption there. Let’s check it.”

• “Your input changed how I see this decision.”

It’s not about downplaying your role or avoiding responsibility. It’s about using your position to make thinking better — not just faster.

Research in personality psychology and leadership studies consistently points in the same direction: leaders who are less driven by status, entitlement, or self-protection create more trust, more openness, and better judgment in their teams. Not because they are nicer, but because they are harder to fool — including by their own ego.

The real risk isn’t humility. It’s humility theatre.

There is a version of humility that doesn’t help anyone:

• saying “I’m just asking questions” to avoid making choices

• saying “I might be wrong” as a shield against accountability

• claiming equality while power dynamics stay untouched

That’s not humility. That’s impression management.

Real humility costs something.
Usually ego. Sometimes speed. Occasionally the comfort of being right.

Why this matters now

Leadership today is less about having the right answers and more about holding the right questions — long enough for something better to emerge.

Humility makes that possible.
Not as a personality trait to admire, but as a daily practice to choose.

And despite its reputation, it’s one of the strongest positions a leader can take.

Sources (background reading):

• Owens & Hekman (2012) — Academy of Management Journal

• Owens, Johnson & Mitchell (2013) — Organization Science

• Ashton & Lee (2007) — Personality and Social Psychology Review