The Value of Humility

A few nights ago I watched the movie “Patton”, starring George C. Scott.  Good movie – Scott was incredible.  I imagine it was coincidental that I watched this movie at the same time General Stanley McChrystal was being relieved of his duties in Afghanistan as a result of his comments to Rolling Stones Magazine.  What’s striking about both Patton and McChrystal is that they were both considered to be great leaders, but because they lacked humility, they both had huge moments of utter failure.  

What causes great leaders to crash and burn?  Could it be that they are often told how great they are and at some point along the way they stop thinking the rules apply to them?  High performers in the world of sports experience this phenomenon. How often is a star athlete told they are awesome by so many that eventually they believe the rules (in sports and other areas of their lives) do not apply to them?

Could this be happening with the high performing leaders in your organization?  Confidence in strengths and abilities is an important trait in great leaders.  So is humility.  The challenge is how to introduce humility while developing a high performer.  One way to do this is to make sure that humility, honesty, and integrity are explicitly emphasized as part of a leader’s development.  Not just when things are going well, but also when thing start to fall apart.

In today’s media crazed world, one publicly touted slip can bring a leader – and the company they lead – to their knees.  As you develop your current and future leaders, remind them that they are employed to serve the greater good of the organization, not just themselves.  Every leader’s values and actions must be governed accordingly.