Just read a great article by Dave Balter, a serial entrepreneur, talking about humility. I loved it because it rang so true: Dave came to understand the importance of humility for leaders after almost destroying his own company through arrogance. There's a happy ending - Dave recently sold his company, BzzAgent, to a subsidiary of Tesco for $60 million.
Dave talks about how the quick success of his company, with the accompanying public accolades, went to his head. He stopped listening to others' opinions, thinking he had all the answers. He became much more controlling and reactive, dismissing even his family's concerns with his high-handed approach.
Fortunately for him, 2009 brought a huge reality check. Revenues flattened, they had to lay off half their staff - and Dave and his partners started worrying about the company's viability. Finally, one day in 2010, the chairman pulled him aside and told him the core problem wasn't the economic climate - it was Dave's attitude.
Dave calls that his "wake-up moment," and the rest of the article goes on to explain how he climbed down off his self-created pedestal and started acting like a true leader.
I also love the article because I agree with it so deeply: what Dave calls humility is a combination of Wisdom and Courage - two attributes we've found essential to effective leadership. Wisdom is the capacity to listen deeply and neutrally, reflect on and understand what you hear, and change your course based on that. Courage includes, among other things, being willing to do things that are personally uncomfortable for you if it will benefit the enterprise.
When a leader is Wise and Courageous, he or she will not only make better, more informed decisions, but also gain the team's allegiance in the process. Arrogant leaders compel obedience; Wise and Courageous - humble - leaders elicit support and commitment.
