Leadership, at the core, reveals the humanity of the individual more than any other undertaking. Despite natural proclivities, successful leaders are not born, they are developed through learning, experience, and a significant, as well as necessary, degree of humility. Humility is the containment of ego. A willingness to recognize one’s imperfections, not by exclaiming, “look at me, I am a human!”, but rather an authentic accounting and acceptance of failures.
Ego stands in the way of humility, and often this is the result of believing one is capable of controlling of outcomes. Successful leaders comprehend that they are not in command of outcomes, but they accept the accountability to level and direct the inputs towards the desired outcome. If the outcome falls below the desired outcome, only through maintaining humility, are leaders able to effectively address required changes. Likewise, if the outcome exceeds expectations, humility is also necessary to ensure balance for the next endeavor.
– RdM