Introduction
Leadership in contemporary society entails several things that involve individual traits. Every leader has a desire to show that they have the essential elements and competencies to be effective in attracting people to follow them (Kraemer 30). Effective leadership is all about being charismatic. According to the Harvard Business Review, one of the common human traits that influence the ability of an individual to be an effective leader is humility (Tangney 72).
In the leadership, humility refers to the ability of an individual to act modestly by learning and accepting the truth people management. Humility in leadership focuses on the ability and willingness of an individual to display their character. Humble leaders prioritize the needs and interests of the people they lead before their own.
Leaders who achieve great success by doing exceptional things should remain humble and avoid allowing pride to stall their chance to do better (Harvard 100). They should use their platform of success to go greater things by influencing others to effect change by identifying and fulfilling their potential. Humility allows leaders to listen to the concerns of other people and help them to identify the best solutions (Harvard 107).
Discussion
Experts argue that humility plays a crucial role in influencing effective leadership because it helps people to certify the humane nature of an individual (Kraemer 36). Unfortunately, not everyone regards humility as a virtue and trait for effective leadership. Research shows that certain people overlook the virtue of humility in leaders because they consider it a sign of low self-esteem and lack of strength.
These people have a negative perception of humble leaders because they believe that a leader should use the power of authority to dictate things to people. Humble leaders have a different approach to leadership, which allows them to act in a civilized manner and with an understanding of the importance of self-awareness (Kraemer 44).
Humility allows leaders to establish their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their emotional disposition. Humble leaders know the power of authority and the best ways of applying it to delegate duties to juniors and make them responsible for their actions (Tangney 75). Emotional intelligence is another element of humble leaders. It allows them to establish the most effective ways of managing their emotions and those of their followers.
Experts also argue that humility allows leaders to have a strong desire for motivating others and believing in their abilities to do even better than them (Harvard 119). According to the Harvard Business Review, humble leaders have a strong desire to see people below them working hard and surpassing their perceived limits of success.
Humble leaders do not hesitate to promote competent individuals to higher positions. Humility allows leaders to appreciate the efforts of others (Kraemer, 49). Humble leaders do not like taking pride in the efforts of others and blaming them when something bad happens. Humble leadership is all about taking responsibility. Acknowledging people for their efforts, and allowing them to take responsibility for their actions helps to breed humility (Tangney 78).
Conclusion
Leadership experts argue that humility is good for effective leadership, but individuals should avoid being extremists. They say that if an individual becomes very humble, especially in a highly competitive environment, the chances of failure are very high. It is important for humble leaders to ensure that they put across their ideas and thoughts about something to avoid being overlooked by others.
Such leaders are likely to have few followers because people will lose their trust in them. People do not believe in an individual who cannot effectively express him or herself because they will consider them as weak and lacking in confidence. Therefore, as long as humility makes people be good leaders, it is important to have good interpersonal and communication skills.
Works Cited
Harvard, Alexandre. Virtuous Leadership: An Agenda for Personal Excellence. New York: Scepter Publishers, 2007.
Kraemer, Harry. From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Value-Based Leadership. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
Tangney, June. Humility: Theoretical Perspectives, Empirical Findings and Directions for Future Research. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 19.1(2000): 70-82.