Humility is Key to Transformational Leadership

Have you ever met someone who was a total showboater? Always boasting, to anyone within earshot, of his or her own accomplishments? That kind of person can be annoying, to put it mildly, and most of us find showboating to be a turnoff. It’s certainly not the sort of behavior that inspires loyalty, or makes us want to be a member of that person’s team.

For the successful leader, humility is key. That’s because we’re more prone to follow someone who quietly shows knowledge, skill, and vision, rather than trumpeting it from the rooftops.

As an executive coach, one of my own areas of focus is on transformational leadership, and I’ll be so bold as to say that humility is one of the most precious and most elusive traits for transformational leaders. Let me try to explain, in a bit more detail, what makes humility so crucial.

Why Humility is Crucial for Great Leadership

Humility is a form of authenticity. We all make mistakes. We’re all, at the end of the day, only human. When you’re humble, it conveys that you’re aware of your own limitations; when you’re a showboater, it suggests that you’re not as aware, and that kind of person just isn’t as relatable. People want to follow a leader who can be real about his or her own shortcomings, and who gives team members…