Confident Humility

I have been ruminating a lot lately on Adam Grant’s latest book.  In it, he proposes that 

“confident humility” is the sweet spot between arrogance and meekness.  

Confident humility is being confident in your ability to achieve success while remaining humble about your abilities and knowledge. It sure appears to me like he nailed it.

In any situation, we must be aware that we may not know the right solution and may not even be addressing the right problems.

Click here for Level 5 Leadership; Humility; a deeper dive on humility.

Click here for another take on humility:  As Wise as Socrates

Confident humility allows us to be open to the possibility that a pivot is necessary.  It also gives us a better chance of coming up with a better course change.

This concept reminds me so much of the concept of level 5 leaders from Jim Collin’s amazing book “Good to Great”.   “Level 5 leaders display a powerful mixture of personal humility and indomitable will. They’re incredibly ambitious, but their ambition is first and foremost for the cause, for the organization and its purpose, not themselves.”  The most effective leaders have confidence (an indomitable will) and humility.

“Learning requires the humility to realize one has something to learn.”

Your doubts may simply be the signal that you have more work to do in improving your abilities, knowledge, tools etc.

“Arrogance leaves us blind to our weaknesses. Humility is a reflective lens: it helps us see them clearly.  Confident humility is a corrective lens: it enables us to overcome those weaknesses.”- Adam Grant

When we point out that there are areas where we agree and acknowledge that they have some valid points, we model confident humility and encourage them to follow suit.  Dr. Robert Chialdini identifies this among his most powerful influence techniques.

It takes confident humility to admit that we’re a work in progress.  It shows that we care more about improving ourselves than proving ourselves.  If that mindset spreads far enough within an organization, it can give people the freedom and courage to speak up.

Just my opinion.  What do you think?  Let me know in the comments.

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