Isaiah O’Connor

a 7 minute read

As I have started to revisit the “Required Secondary Powers” Series, I have reached the point where it is time to add a new one. I have touched on the subject in the podcast, and I thought I had a blog written on it, but I did not. So this is the first time I have focused exclusively on this subject. That subject is being humble.

If you stumbled onto this series, you can check out the introduction post here[1]. In a nutshell, the main product or service you are offering is your primary “Power.” It is what you do best. But to succeed, you need other “Secondary powers,” and these are what I am exploring here.

The Importance of Humility

As I mentioned in my last post, humility seems to be one of the most important of the “Secondary Powers.” So much so that I think it should almost be a required primary power. You see, humility undergirds all the rest in this series. Humility helps our ability to learn, be disciplined, be determined, and be a giver. It turns out that this seems to be a common characteristic of great leaders.

Defining Humility

But first, we need to address what humility is. Let's start with the definition of humility, a noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary:

“Humility noun the quality of not thinking that you are better than other people; the quality of being humble.”[2]

Interesting thing to note: this does not say anything about being weak or subservient. It is about not thinking you are better than others—a simple concept with much more depth. Being humble means you think about others first; you tend to see what you do, even as a top leader, as being just a part of a large team focused on a mutual goal.

Examples of Humility

A good example is the dynamic team of Meeting Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard; they created the company now known as HP. Among other things, they were known for their humility and they focused on maintaining humility even among their management. They created what they called “The HP Way,”[3] which is focused on trust and respect for individuals while working as a team. There are a many examples of their humility and commitment to a greater cause, such as when Dave Packard gave up north of 22 million dollars to serve his country.[4]

Level 5 Leadership

In the book, “Good To Great,” [5] Jim Collins stumbled on this principle. He found that what he calls level 5 leaders are very humble with a fierce resolve. He wrote an extensive article on this for the Harvard Business Review titled “Level 5 Leadership: The Triumph of Humility and Fierce Resolve,”[6] which I strongly recommend. He points out how the best leaders give the credit for their success to anyone but themselves and take the blame for all the failures. Jim Collins calls this the window and the mirror principle.

““Level 5 leaders look out the window to assign credit—even undue credit. They look in the mirror to assign blame, never citing external factors.”

— Jim Collins

I think this summarizes what humility is in leadership. Again I strongly recommend the book “Good To Great” or at least the article I linked, it is one of the biggest influences on my success as a businessman, and no, this is not a paid advertisement.

Connections to Other Studies

As I was reading the above article, it struck me that there was a strong correlation to another study I heard about and expanded on in another previous blog on giving. In that blog, I mention among others Wharton professor Adam Grant, who did a study[7] where he found that people who are givers are conversely the highest and the lowest on his scale of success. Givers that are doormats tend to be at the bottom and givers that retain strength to be strong and yet kind populate the top. Being humble is a key characteristic of being a giver. Being a giver helps you succeed; the two seem to be linked.

Practical Steps to Cultivate Humility

So the question is, how do you become more humble? This took some digging, and I found a great blog post titled “Humility in Leadership: The unsung skill of great leaders” by Deanna Debara.[8]In this article, she outlines the following (taken directly from the post, please read the whole brilliant post she wrote:

Humble leaders ask for help (and don't pretend to know everything)
Humble leaders admit mistakes and forgive mistakes
Humble leaders adopt a growth mindset and are open to new ideas
Humble leaders put the needs of their team first
Humble leaders model inclusive leadership
Humble leaders recognize and celebrate their employees

I think this is good groundwork. To become humble, you need to look inward and recognize your limitations, just as Robin Olds did when he realized he did not know how to fly jet aircraft. This includes having a teachable spirit; the two are joined. Then you decide to put the needs of your team first and direct them to the mutual goal that benefits everyone.

In Conclusion

In a nutshell, I think C.S. Lewis put it best when he said:

“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”

— C.S. Lewis

So in closing, humility is more than just a Secondary Power; it seems to be one of the primary ones you need to succeed, although its visibility is less due to its very nature.

Questions of the Week:

Have you considered humility a weakness or a strength in the past? Have you had a truly humble leader who made an impact in your life, and how do you think you can become more humble, without losing strength? You can join us on Patreon, chat with us on our Discord Server here, or simply connect with us on our Facebook page facebook.com/Atheozbusiness and join the discussion.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Entrepreneur
Isaiah O’Connor.
1. https://www.atheoz.com/oconnor-bootstrap-blog/2022/1/14/boostrap-blog-template-hese2-ac4h8
2. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/humility
3. https://www.inflexion-point.com/Blog/bid/74097/5-Timeless-Principles-Revisiting-the-HP-Way
4. https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/william-hewlett-amp-david-packard/197644
5. https://www.jimcollins.com/books.html
6. https://hbr.org/2001/01/level-5-leadership-the-triumph-of-humility-and-fierce-resolve-2
7. https://slate.com/business/2014/05/adam-grants-give-and-take-a-theory-that-says-generous-people-do-better-at-work-than-selfish-ones.htm
8. https://www.betterup.com/blog/humility-in-leadership

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Your Friendly Neighborhood Entrepreneur,
Isaiah O’Connor