Humility is a very interesting attribute, one that I find perplexing too.
Among leaders, we find humility an endearing trait. We love leaders who remember their roots, and are close to the ground. We see leaders communicate to their audience (and perhaps to themselves too) that they lead with humility.
There are of course exceptions to this, as some leaders perceived to be hyper-successful, presumably measured by wealth and power are at times excused for not displaying humility, as they have “earned” the right to do so. Can we really “earn” a right to forgo humility?
On the flip side, we also find another apparently conflicting perspective. Self-doubt is not seen to be a desirable trait as it implies a lack of confidence. Confidence is the currency that gets us to our success. However, when we unpack humility, it involves acknowledging that other individuals and circumstances beyond our control have also contributed to our success. Humility also implies open mindedness and the ability to acknowledge our perspective may not be right. Isn’t this self-doubt too?
When I internalise this apparent contradiction, two answers come to mind.
First, humility serves a deeper purpose than just external perception and validation. For a scientist in pursuit of knowledge and truth, intellectual humility and open-mindedness is necessary to unlock the secrets of nature. A leader with humility will understand the contribution of various individuals and circumstances and hence rally together the entire organisation towards greater heights.
Second, a distinction must be made between healthy and unhealthy self-doubt. Healthy self-doubt is acknowledging that our current perspective may be incorrect, and that we may not understand the full picture yet. It helps us develop open-mindedness and an ability unlearn perspectives which may not hold true anymore and learn new ones that help us navigate the world.
Unhealthy self-doubt on the other hand leads us to doubt our own capabilities and strengths. Extending the notion of “self” a bit wider, we can say that unhealthy self-doubt results in us underestimating the true potential of our self, family, friends and community.
A lack of belief in our “self” leads us to pessimism, internal and external conflict, and shrinking our potential. We need to be careful to not go down this path in the name of humility, but have steadfast belief in our “self”.
So, let’s have unshakeable faith in ourselves, reach for the skies and tread forward with an open mind.
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