Long-term Success Through Humility: Why Modest Leaders surpass Their Arrogant Counterparts Over Time
In the realm of leadership, a shift towards humility has emerged as a key factor in fostering high-performing teams and cultivating an environment that encourages growth and innovation. This shift is exemplified by the transformative journey of David, a client of Dr. Andriana Eliadis, a renowned leadership coach and psychologist.
Google's Project Aristotle found that successful teams share a common trait: psychological safety. Dr. Eliadis's approach to leadership emphasizes practices that cultivate this safety, promoting a learning-oriented culture, engagement, and high performance.
At the heart of Dr. Eliadis's teachings is the concept of humility. Humble leaders, she explains, admit their mistakes, encourage others' input, focus on serving the team, demonstrate vulnerability, and prioritize the mission over personal status. These practices, when implemented, help create an environment where people feel valued and empowered to grow.
David, leading a digital transformation at a global technology firm, found himself in a challenging situation. His team had stopped offering feedback, deadlines were slipping, and exit interviews revealed a culture of quiet frustration. This was due to David's ego-driven leadership style, which stifled innovation and eroded trust.
Through coaching sessions, David's behaviour was changed. He was guided to build awareness of ego-driven triggers, practice intentional pauses in meetings, and reframe questions to invite dissent. This led to David asking open-ended questions that signalled openness and respect.
Within months, David experienced improvement in his team's engagement scores. His humility did not diminish his credibility, but rather deepened it. His team began to feel valued, empowered, and safe to contribute, leading to a surge in innovation and high performance.
Dr. Andriana Eliadis, an Executive Education Facilitator & Coach at Cornell University, NY, USA and President at Executive Communication, is a firm believer in the transformative power of humble leadership. She is a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches.
In essence, humility in leadership is the capacity to acknowledge one's limitations, remain open to feedback, and prioritize the mission over personal status. It is not about playing small, but playing smart, with confidence without arrogance, influence without dominance, and authority without alienation.
As Dr. Eliadis aptly puts it, "Ego may impress, but humility transforms." The most respected leaders are those who can step back to elevate others, achieving more together than they ever could alone. Humble leadership keeps the thinking brain online, while ego shuts it down.
For those interested in learning more about Dr. Eliadis's practices for leading with humility and fostering engagement, learning-oriented cultures, and high-performing teams, I recommend consulting her published works or talks directly. Her insights offer a valuable roadmap for leaders seeking to transform their teams and organisations.
- Dr. Andriana Eliadis, a member of the Forbes Coaches Council, emphasizes the importance of humility in leadership through her teaching and coaching, as she believes it can foster learning-oriented cultures, engagement, and high-performance in businesses and careers.
- In her published works and talks, Dr. Eliadis discusses humility as a crucial factor in leadership, explaining that humble leaders focus on serving the team, admit their mistakes, encourage others' input, demonstrate vulnerability, and prioritize the mission over personal status.
- By implementing these humble leadership practices, individuals like David, a digital transformation leader at a global technology firm, have experienced improved team engagement, increased innovation, and high performance, as well as a shift from an ego-driven leadership style to one that empowers and values team members, fostering a safer environment for personal growth and education-and-self-development.
