Humility in Uncertainty

Jim Collins defined stage 5 leaders as having personal humility and a strong focus, energy, or will. Humility was vital for leaders taking a company from good to great.

It took great courage for Jim Collins to use the "H" word: Humility. The corporate atmosphere makes it easier to swear than to speak humbly. It is easier for a leader to push his or her way to the top and build a company around a personality than to declare that this will not help the organization.

Yet to use the word humble and to define what it means are different things entirely. To some, it means a nice word for shame, where we are to act like a worthless person. To others it means to pretend we don't have strengths or capacities. To yet others, it might mean something you can't talk about, because if you do, it is only proof you don't have it. It also has emotional baggage attached to it; it often feels like a lead weight chained to an ankle, something that must be cut away to find our freedom. When is the last time you heard the word humble used to refer to the leader of an organization? I'll wager that for most of us, the answer is never.

Naturally, I am not the authority for defining humility; my aim is simply to push the conversation further. After all the failures we have seen in organizations over these last years, maybe it is time to change the conversations we have about success.

Can we talk about humility in a leader?

Can we have this courageous conversation in a way that builds our understanding of maturity and wholeness?

Can we engage each other in a dialogue leading to trust and transparency in our leadership and organizations?

I think we can, and my hope is that in some small way, this short book will help carry the conversation forward.