Virtue:
Humility
Other names:
Definition:
A realistic assessment of your own abilities; "restrains inordinate desires of one's own excellence" (CE)
Advice:
C.S. Lewis, on humility: God “wants to bring the man to a state of mind in which he could design the best cathedral in the world, and know it to be the best, and rejoice in the fact, without being any more (or less) or otherwise glad at having done it than he would be if it had been done by another. [God] wants him, in the end, to be so free from any bias in his own favour that he can rejoice in his own talents as frankly and gratefully as in his neighbour's talents--or in a sunrise, an elephant, or a waterfall.”
Empirical Research:
Humility involves an accurate but not underestimated sense of one's own abilities, the capacity to acknowledge mistakes and imperfections, openness to ideas and advice, and a relatively low focus on oneself. Most psychologists measure humility in terms of outward behaviors, such as not taking full credit for success (Hareli & Weiner, 2000; R.S Miller & Schlenker, 1985). Nevertheless, some studies find that humility is linked to a highly positive opinion of oneself, based on a sense of one's inherent worth (J.D. Brown, 1993), compassion towards oneself (Neff, 2003), relationships with other people (Leary & Baumeister, 200) and connection with a higher power (Crocker & Wolfe, 2001).
Humility is difficult to measure, and so psychologists approach the topic indirectly through a consideration of narcissism, the presumptive opposite of humility. Because they are preoccupied with maintaining a high opinion of themselves, narcissists display increased levels of anger, aggression and hypersensitivity (McCann & Biaggo, 1989; Bushman & Baumeister, 1998; Rhodewalt & Morf, 1998; Baumeister, Smart, & Boden, 1996). Humility is also connected to forgiveness. According to a study by Exline, Baumeister, Faber, & Holland (2002), people who are encouraged to feel morally equal to a perpetrator tend to rate the perpetrator's transgression as more forgivable.
Some studies show that secure attachments may lie at the foundation of humility (Bowlby, 1973).
Humility is difficult to measure, and so psychologists approach the topic indirectly through a consideration of narcissism, the presumptive opposite of humility. Because they are preoccupied with maintaining a high opinion of themselves, narcissists display increased levels of anger, aggression and hypersensitivity (McCann & Biaggo, 1989; Bushman & Baumeister, 1998; Rhodewalt & Morf, 1998; Baumeister, Smart, & Boden, 1996). Humility is also connected to forgiveness. According to a study by Exline, Baumeister, Faber, & Holland (2002), people who are encouraged to feel morally equal to a perpetrator tend to rate the perpetrator's transgression as more forgivable.
Some studies show that secure attachments may lie at the foundation of humility (Bowlby, 1973).
Case examples:
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Further reading:
Vices opposed:
Pride
Case Study 1
ReplyDeleteJohn Abbate is an independent franchisee owner and operator of McDonald's restaurants throughout the Central Valley of California, and author of Invest Yourself: Daring to be Catholic In Today's Business World. In his book, Abbate describes his personal struggle to distinguish between the virtue of magnanimity on the one hand and the corresponding vices of ambition and vainglory on the other. According to him, the key lies in the virtue of humility.
"One of the great challenges of my life has been embracing the concept of Christian humility. Far too often, the confidence and assertiveness that made me successful and proficient in the tasks of my daily life eventually led me down a path toward arrogance, egoism, and insensitivity toward others.
"Part of this mentality is a function of my competitive spirit and desire to win. I have always addressed life’s obstacles with an aggressive and assertive self-confidence in order to be successful. Yet, as many in my life can attest, I have been less than understanding when others either fail to model this same behavior or don’t find value in its ideology. It’s caused strife in my personal life and in my working relationships.
"However, I have come to understand that our role and responsibility as Christians must always be fundamentally rooted in the humility that I realized I lacked (and far too often still do). It is not the humility that is so often perceived as weak or feeble, but a humility of strength, confidence, and fortitude. I have realized that it is only through the prism of humility that we will ultimately have the power and grace to live our lives enthroned in this principle of self-gift." (pp. 61-62)
Abbate recognizes that humility is essential not only in one’s relationship with oneself, but also in a leader’s relationship to his subordinates.
"I have found that some days, all it takes is me giving a genuine smile and hello to my employees as they are working, acknowledging my gratitude for their commitment to their effort. Some days it means sitting down and listening to an issue that seems to be holding them back from becoming more successful or content in their jobs or lives. Mainly it is as simple as being present, putting the cell phone or computer away, and having the commitment to be with them in that moment. My task-driven personality can be my Achilles’ heel when it comes to recognizing immense value in these moments. Today I keep a little note on my desk and computer that reminds me to check myself. The note simply states, 'Be here now.'" (p. 63) (Abbate, Invest Yourself, pp. 61-62 and p. 63)
Case Study 2
ReplyDeleteRobert Luddy is president of Captive and author of Entrepreneurial Life: The Path from Startup to Market Leader. In his book, he explains the importance of humility to continued growth, dynamism and creativity.
"CaptiveAire is a dynamic company that is always transforming itself with new ideas for future growth. We continue to add products and capacity to our product line and to explore the technologies of the future. 'Blockers,' or stalwarts of the status quo, do not inhibit our growth; we do not allow them to stand in the way of new and potentially great ideas. We prefer the 'lead, follow, or get out of the way' philosophy, which brings intellectual and physical energy to the enterprise and distinguishes the entrepreneurs from the bureaucrats. We respect the established processes and the engineers and innovators who came before us, but not to the point that we are unwilling to make radical changes based on evolving circumstances or new opportunities. We must be willing to discard even our own ideas and programs if a new and better idea comes along. Humility is crucial to the improvement cycle." (Luddy, Entrepreneurial Life, ch.6)
Case Study 3
ReplyDeleteIn Good to Great, scholar Jim Collins presents a good example of humility in the case of Alan Wurtzel, CEO of Circuit City from 1972 to 1986. Over the course of ten years, he developed his almost bankrupt company into a thriving business, but it required great humility on his part to achieve this goal.
"When Alan Wurtzel started the long traverse from near bankruptcy to these stellar results, he began with a remarkable answer to the question of where to take the company: I don’t know. Unlike leaders such as Roy Ash of Addressograph, Wurtzel resisted the urge to walk in with 'the answer.' Instead, once he put the right people on the bus, he began not with answers, but with questions. 'Alan was a real spark,' said a board member. 'He had an ability to ask questions that were just marvelous. We had some wonderful debates in the boardroom. It was never just a dog and pony show, where you would just listen and then go to lunch.' Indeed, Wurtzel stands as one of the few CEOs in a large corporation who put more questions to his board members than they put to him." (Collins, Good to Great, p. 74)
Case Study
ReplyDeleteIn Good to Great, Jim Collins discusses what he calls “level 5 leadership,” which involves a combination of dauntless willpower and personal humility. As an example, he chronicles Bill Hewlett and William Packard's slow and steady buildup to success in information technology. "Hewlett and Packard were themselves consummate Level 5 leaders, first as entrepreneurs and later as company builders. Years after HP had established itself as one of the most important technology companies in the world, Hewlett maintained a remarkable personal humility. In 1972, HP vice president Barney Oliver wrote in a recommendation letter to the IEEE Awards Board for the Founders Award: 'While our success has been gratifying, it has not spoiled our founders. Only recently, at an executive council meeting, Hewlett remarked: “Look, we’ve grown because the industry grew. We were lucky enough to be sitting on the nose when the rocket took off. We don’t deserve a damn bit of credit.” After a moment’s silence, while everyone digested this humbling comment, Packard said: “Well, Bill, at least we didn’t louse it up completely.”'" (Collins, Good to Great, pp. 192-93)
Case Study
ReplyDeleteIn his book, The Pope and the CEO, entrepreneur, philanthropist and former Swiss Guard Andreas Widmer discusses the importance of humility - and the perils of pride - in the business world. "Making business decisions just for the short-term and not the long-term causes untold damage to a company. Even more damaging are the decisions based on the owner’s or CEO’s pride. Pride destroys perspective. It leads you not only to think that you know best, but also that you, in fact, are the only one who knows anything at all.
"Years ago, when I was still with FTP Software, the head of our company decided to purchase another company based in my territory. The company purchased was a mess—poorly run, poorly staffed, and permeated by a culture of deception. I knew this. Everyone familiar with the company knew this. But the CEO never asked me. He assumed he knew best and our company later paid the price for his pride.
"Another company I once worked for had an unbelievable opportunity to partner with a young, cutting-edge firm. The CEO passed up that opportunity. He said he didn’t want to “deal with those kids.” What he didn’t want was to admit that some start-up staffed by a bunch of newcomers could help us. Again, pride." (Widmer, The Pope & the CEO, ch. 2)
Case Study
ReplyDeleteIn Made in America, Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton writes about the importance of humility in maintaining the company’s success. "The bigger Wal-Mart gets, the more essential it is that we think small. Because that's exactly how we have become a huge corporation - by not acting like one. Above all, we are small-town merchants, and I can't tell you how important it is for us to remember - when we puff up our chests and brag about all those huge sales and profits - that they were made one day at a time, one store at a time, mostly by the hard work, good attitude, and teamwork of all those hourly associates and their store managers, as well as by all those folks in the distribution centers. If we ever get carried away by how important we are because we're a great big $50 billion chain - instead of one store in Blytheville, Arkansas, or McComb, Mississippi, or Oak Ridge, Tennessee - then you probably can close the book on us. If we ever forget that looking a customer in the eye, and greeting him or her, and asking politely if we can be of help is just as important in every Wal-Mart today as it was in that little Ben Franklin in Newport, then we just ought to go into a different business because we'll never survive in this one." (Walton, Made in America, pp. 277-78)
Case Study
ReplyDeleteJ. C. Penney founder James Cash Penney was greatly admired in rural America for his many philanthropic agricultural projects, but he always kept his own fame in perspective. In J. C. Penney: The Man, the Store and American Agriculture, David Delbert Kruger relates a telling episode from one of Penney’s cross-country inspection tours in 1932, in the midst of the Depression. “Penney was enthusiastically welcomed in each town by local residents and media; his presence typically became front-page news before and after each stop, with headlines such as ‘Big Store Head Made Visit Here,’ ‘Founder of Penney Stores a Visitor in Grundy Center,’ and ‘J. C. Penney Coming Here.’ Yet Penney was not making these visits for the sake of his own ego, even if he found himself surrounded by crowds of adoring sycophants. On arriving in the Iowa town of Decorah, he was immediately met by a throng of residents and reporters who regarded his presence in the small farming community as almost messianic, an enigmatic stature Penney quickly wanted to eschew. ‘I have the utmost faith that the United States will pull itself out of any situation and I have unbounded faith in the American Farmer,’ he commented to the Decorah Journal. ‘Please do not place me in the role of a prophet…you can say that I have complete faith that the United States will recover. Citizens of every class now have full knowledge that the conditions in farming sections must be improved if the nation is to prosper.’” (94) Rather than embracing the paternalistic attitude of other successful American capitalists like Carnegie and Rockefeller, Penney sought to turn the spotlight away from his own accomplishments and to emphasize the common struggle of the nation as a whole. (Kruger, J. C. Penney, p. 94)
Case Study
ReplyDeleteIn his memoir, My Side of the Street: Why Wolves, Flash Boys, Quants and Masters of the Universe Don’t Represent the Real Wall Street, Investment Strategist Jason DeSana Trennert explains that for business school graduates, long-term success is determined less by acquiring a coveted position in a high-profile company right off the bat, and more by a realistic, patient assessment of one’s own abilities and prospects in the search for opportunities. “One of the best examples of this phenomenon is a friend by the name of Jim Bankoff. It’s such a compelling example of the vagaries of the recruitment process that I often recount this story to undergraduate and graduate students who feel that getting a job at Goldman Sachs will solve all their problems and, financially, set them up for life. Jim was a smart, polite kid with a perpetually bemused expression on his face who spent his undergraduate years at Emory University in Atlanta. Jim was no different than the rest of us, I suppose, except that he was preternaturally kind and perhaps too laid-back to convince the true believers who hosted on-campus interviews that he had the fire in the belly required to become a corporate killer.”
Jim received few employment offers while on campus, and was still undecided about his future upon graduation. Few things, Trennert says, were more embarrassing to a business student in the mid-nineties. “Candidly, we all felt a little sorry for Jim, often offering patronizing words of encouragement to him on his quest for positions at companies other MBA students at elite programs would never remotely consider.
“After some research, Jim became intrigued by a then-little-known company in Arlington, Virginia, and one of its top executives, Steve Case. Given that this was 1996, a point at which the Internet boom was in its infancy, it was decidedly unimpressive for him to be seeking a job with an Internet provider. But Jim saw the potentially transformative nature of the work and contacted the company’s human resources department to set up an informational interview. Hopeful, he boarded a train from Philadelphia’s Thirtieth Street station on a cold February morning, arriving in Virginia three hours later only to discover that the human resources department had mistakenly scheduled the appointment for the wrong day.”
In the midst of his disappointment and disillusionment, Jim happened to see a group of chalk-striped executives coming his way. “On a whim and figuring he had little to lose, he approached the man who appeared to lead the pack, extended his hand, and said, ‘I’m a Wharton MBA and I’d like to work for you.’ Perhaps too surprised or too humane to rebuff such a fresh-faced suitor, the executive said, without breaking stride, ‘OK, kid, you’ve got five minutes to tell me why I should hire you.’ Jim proceeded to tell the then-unknown executive about his education and his dreams and his values.
“The rest, as they say, is history. As it turned out, the VIP he met near dusk was the legendary Ted Leonsis, the founder of America Online, serial entrepreneur, and the current owner of both the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the NBA’s Washington Wizards. The guy we all felt sorry for because of his failure to land a post at Bain or McKinsey had just talked himself into a job that would take him, almost by providential luck, into the C-suite level of a firm that would be among the most influential in the Internet boom that was to follow.”
For Trennert, providence is hardly the only theme to emerge from this episode. “By any objective measure – prestige, responsibility, money – the smart but humble kid everyone felt sorry for in business school became the most immediately and eminently successful of Wharton’s 1996 MBA class.” Jim’s story is a reflection both of importance of humility to success, and of the problems that could arise from the lack of humility prevalent in the business school culture of the time. (Trennert, My Side of the Street, pp. 78-80)
Case Study
ReplyDeleteIn his memoir, My Side of the Street: Why Wolves, Flash Boys, Quants and Masters of the Universe Don’t Represent the Real Wall Street, Investment Strategist Jason DeSana Trennert recalls a lesson in humility he learned from colleague and friend Alan Goldman while working unhappily and with little success as a trading representative. “One night, while I was crying in my beer about my predicament in a bar in Hobokon, he told me simply that I was looking for fulfillment on Wall Street in the wrong places.
“‘A trading desk is no place for you,’ he said. ‘You’re not tough enough. You like to write, you love macro, and you like being in front of customers. You really ought to be a strategist.’
Trennert explains that, melodramatic as it may sound, this short conversation was the turning point of his career, enabling him to form a more realistic conception of his own strengths and desires. “At important stages of my short tenure on Wall Street until then, my insecurities led me to choose jobs with the express purpose of impressing other people rather than doing something I might actually like and – more important from the standpoint of an employer – that I might be good at. In the most public way possible, I was trying to get 21 at the blackjack table, when the object of the game was to beat the dealer.” (93)
From then on, Trennert learned to stop focusing on social status as the sole measure of success. “At twenty-eight, I finally became less interested in style points and more interested in real points.” (99) It was the beginning of a new career path for Trennert as a Wall Street investment strategist. (Trennert, My Side of the Street, pp. 93 and 99)
Case Study
ReplyDeleteIn the conclusion to his memoir, My Side of the Street: Why Wolves, Flash Boys, Quants and Masters of the Universe Don’t Represent the Real Wall Street, Investment Strategist Jason DeSana Trennert offers the would-be Wall Street careerist some advice on the virtue of humility, counseling his readers to play to their own true strengths. “This should be obvious for any well-educated, well-adjusted adult but it’s amazing what can happen when you put a group of highly competitive people together in a survival-of-the-fittest type race to get a Wall Street job. When put in such a circumstance, normally rational people will abandon any thought about what they actually might enjoy doing or, even more important, what they might actually be good at when seeking a job in the financial industry. The focus often becomes getting a ‘better’ job than the next guy, a position the mere mention of which conveys responsibility, wealth and intelligence. Remember, however, that it’s not easy to feel smart, wealthy, or important if you’re in a job you’re ill suited for in terms of skills or temperament. Tony Bennett is famous for saying that if you do what you love you never have to work a day in your life. Trust me, if you’re good at what you do, the money will come.” (Trennert, My Side of the Street, p. 187)
Case Study
ReplyDeleteIn his book, Rumsfeld’s Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War and Life, Donald Rumsfeld explains how personal humility is essential to leaving a lasting legacy. “No matter how capable he may be, every leader needs to know that he is not indispensable. Any of us could get hit by a truck, and if real leadership capability resides in only one or two people, the top person has failed as a leader. Preparing for an orderly succession in key posts is an important responsibility for a head of any organization. Having a capable deputy and a strong senior leadership team in place not only ensures that those at the top can maintain a healthy balance between work and life; it also ensures that there will be people on hand who can continue leading after you leave. Steve Jobs spent considerable time at Apple building a team that could take over for him when the need arose. When Jobs died, some analysts feared the stock of the company would crater. But because he had a capable leadership team and a solid plan of succession, the transition was orderly and the company’s stock price rose 60 percent in the six months following his death.” (Rumsfeld, Rumsfeld’s Rules, p. 60)
Case Study
ReplyDeleteIn, Rumsfeld’s Rules: Leadership Lessons in Business, Politics, War and Life, Donald Rumsfeld offers a personal example of the virtue of humility. “Humility and discretion are two valued qualities in an employee. Regardless of the position you hold, keep in mind that you represent your boss to the outside world. What you say and do reflects on the boss and on the entire organization. When you speak for the boss or the company, be sure you are representing them accurately.
“During the time I worked for Congressman Dennison, for example, a constituent or a journalist would ask me for the congressman’s views or sometimes even my own views on a subject. I knew they didn’t give a fig about my opinions. If I had any doubt about that, all I had to do was resign and see if those people were still interested in asking me questions. I knew well that I wasn’t the one who had been elected to represent the interests of several hundred thousand people in his district. Sometimes staff members, especially those with strong opinions, can forget that. An employee must quickly learn to cleanse themselves of such delusions, or else the boss will do it for them.” (Rumsfeld, Rumsfeld’s Rules, p.7)
Case Study
ReplyDelete“Many young businesspeople feel that minor chores are beneath their dignity and unworthy of their college training. They expect to prove their true worth in some major, vital enterprise. Actually, the spirit and effectiveness with which you tackle your first humble task will very likely be carefully watched and may affect your entire career.” (King, The Unwritten Laws of Business, 5)
Advice
ReplyDelete“Do not become unduly preoccupied with your own selfish interests…This applies particularly to the matter of credit for accomplishments. It is much wiser to give your principal attention to the matter of getting the job done, or to building up your associates than to spend too much time pushing your personal interests ahead of everything else. You need have no fear of being overlooked; about the only way to lose credit for a creditable job is to grab for it too avidly.” (King, The Unwritten Laws of Business, 76)
Advice
ReplyDelete“Do not take yourself too seriously…It is much better for your blood pressure, and for morale of the office, to laugh off an awkward situation now and then than to maintain a tense, tragic atmosphere of stark disaster whenever matters take an embarrassing turn.” (King, The Unwritten Laws of Business, 77)
Case Study
ReplyDeleteIn his book, Thinking Outside the Box: The Wine Group Story, Arthur Ciocca, founder of Wine Group, Inc., discusses how he came to recognize when the time had come for him to retire, and explains how finally letting go of control over one’s company is vital to the success of one’s legacy. “Unfortunately, all of this came at a price. At some point around my 20th year as CEO, I believed I reached the point of diminishing returns in terms of learning and contributing. I sensed some of my original partners were in the same boat. We had succeeded beyond our wildest expectations, but we had paid a price to do so. We had lived for the business for over 20 years, and it was time to restore balance in our lives.
“I was proud of our managerial team and what we had accomplished. I believe we were exactly the right team through the early development years and into the boom years. We were not the right team for what lay ahead. As clear as this is to me now, it was not that clear at the time. It was this blind spot that left the organization unprepared for the future.
“I had lost perspective. One of our great past strengths had evolved into a huge weakness. Our top and middle management ranks were made up of senior people who had been doing the same job for years. We had spent a lot of time together, much of it in foxholes. As a result, we had become very close and in some respects, interdependent. This was comfortable and extremely efficient. We could do things with a fraction of the manpower of most organizations and we could do them better.
“But we had become too comfortable, conservative and complacent. It wasn’t a conscious decision. It just happened because the fire that drove our past achievements had dwindled. Before long, growth stopped and the company hit a plateau. A void had been created and no one was rising to fill it. There was no spark, vision or entrepreneurial zeal to drive the company forward. We were stuck and I was deluding myself, hoping someone would rise to fill the void that existed.
“There is a time in the life of every CEO when he or she is too close to the forest to see the trees. It’s times like this when it pays to have good friends, confidants or advisors with perspective who can help you see more clearly what you’re missing. I was fortunate to have Ross Brown. Ross is an experienced management recruiter, but most of all he is a good and insightful friend who knew my situation.
“From time to time in various meetings, sometimes even on the golf course, he would detect inconsistencies between my goals for the company and what I was actually doing. As only a good friend will do, he pointed them out in a manner that enabled me to face reality. I had left a void in the company’s organizational structure and it had to be filled if we were going to get back on track. Ross not only identified the void – he told me what I had to do to fill it.
“I learned the hard way that succession planning is a vital area that must be managed, reviewed, and evaluated on an ongoing basis by the CEO, Advisory Board and when necessary, outsiders. It is far better to have a long-term plan and gradually upgrade it over time than to allow the organization to decline. No one is smart enough to do it all on their own. Everyone needs help and perspective, especially CEOs who have been in place for a long time.” (Ciocca, Thinking Outside the Box, pp. 98-99)