5 Traits of Humble Leaders That They Won’t Tell You Themselves

Author Jim Collins propelled the topic of humility in leadership in his work on “Level 5 leaders.” Harvard Business Review published an article on it called “How Humble Leadership Really Works.” Forbes published an article titled “Why Humble Leaders Are Rare.” And Psychologist Adam Grant has talked and written about “Confident Humility.” With all this chatter about “humility,” wouldn’t you love to know what makes a humble leader tick? Since they probably won’t tell you (that wouldn’t be very humble!), here are the observations we have found from working with leaders who manifest humility.

First, let’s clarify what it doesn’t mean. Humble leaders do not align with the stereotypical traits of being weak and meek. In addition, they are not perfect in their leadership – they experience failure, make mistakes, get angry, and have episodes of pride. The difference is they possess a humble disposition rather than just periodically demonstrating humble acts. After all, even leaders who do not have humility at the core of their character still stumble upon a humble action every so often! 

Here are five things we have observed from the humble leaders we have coached.

1. They admit their mistakes.

Why is it so hard to admit a mistake? Because most of us have a grandiose fear of being embarrassed. Humble leaders, however, use this fear to their advantage. They have learned that admitting mistakes often has the opposite effect of embarrassment. It allows others to see that they are human, honest, and humble – which results in the formation of deeper admiration and greater trust.

2. They intentionally seek out feedback and take it seriously.

I recently read the biography of actor Terry Crews (from Brooklyn 99 and Everyone Hates Chris). His first career was in the NFL as a linebacker. But after very short stints with little playing time, he was going broke. It was then that his wife Rebecca said these hard words to him, “You know, honey, maybe you’re not that good.” Ouch! But that feedback led to him humbling himself and taking a temp job sweeping floors where he eventually stumbled into an opportunity in acting.

3. They share the credit for success.

The word “arrogance” comes from the Latin word which means “to claim.” Arrogant people often take credit – but only for success. And on the other extreme, some people profusely give thanks for the contributions of others that resulted in their own success, which at times can feel disingenuous. Like when an actor receiving an Oscar thanks his/her mother, father, great aunt, director, pet hamster, etc. But humble leaders regularly affirm the talents of others and share the credit for team wins because they genuinely mean it and want others to hear it.

4. They demonstrate unassuming courage.

There are different types of courage including reckless courage, self-serving courage, and unassuming courage. This last one is most common for humble leaders. It is often assumed that humility and courage do not co-exist, but that is far from the truth. I have seen humble leaders make very courageous decisions including hiring and firing people, taking risks on new ideas, and spending money without any guaranteed return, but they do it in a way that is unassuming and not for self-serving purposes.

5. They hire awesome people on their team.

Over the years, I have seen more than a few leaders hire team members that are “B” level players since hiring anyone who is an “A” level performer might make the leader look less appealing and more vulnerable. Not so with humble leaders – they are not fearful of being vulnerable. They seek to hire people as good and, quite often, better than themselves because the vision is greater than their ego. In one case, I once watched a leader hire a few new team members that were more talented than him in some very high-profile areas. But those decisions ultimately propelled the organization forward with significant growth.

Proverbs 22:4 says true humility leads to riches, honor, and long life. While this is not a guarantee (yes, a humble leader can die young and not end up wealthy), it reflects a principle that fruit is born from humility. From my observation, humble leaders are more likely to also have a healthier culture, less turnover, fewer lawsuits, and fewer conflicts.

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Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.