Humility

Strengths

• Projects “executive presence” and inspires confidence in followers
• Decisive in high-stakes environments where hesitation is a risk
• Effective at “selling” a vision or persuading sceptical stakeholders
• Provides a stable “North Star” during times of chaos or doubt

Liabilities

• May appear arrogant, dismissive, or “uncoachable” to peers
• Risk of “ego-blindness”, ignoring critical data that contradicts them
• Can stifle the team by making them feel their input isn’t valued
• Might struggle to admit mistakes until it’s too late to pivot

Development tips if you lean left

• Practice saying “I don’t know” or “I was wrong” more often.
• Ask for “reverse mentoring” from someone more junior in the organisation.
• Wait to speak last in meetings to avoid biasing the group with your confidence.
• Solicit “blind” feedback specifically on your receptivity to new ideas.
• Acknowledge the specific contributions of others in every success.
• Reflect on a past failure and identify your personal role in it.
• Focus on “What is right” rather than “Who is right.”
• Read biographies of leaders who failed due to overconfidence.

Strengths

• Builds deep trust and psychological safety within the team
• Highly “coachable” and quick to learn from feedback and failure
• Empowers others by sharing the spotlight and the credit
• Effective at de-escalating conflict by removing ego from the equation

Liabilities

• May be perceived as “weak” or lacking conviction in competitive cultures
• Might undersell their own expertise, leading to missed opportunities
• Risk of being overlooked for high-level “political” roles
• Could delay action by deferring too much to the opinions of others

Development tips if you lean right

• Identify situations where the team *needs* you to be the expert.
• Practice “speaking with conviction” on topics where you have the data.
• Distinguish between “humility” (accurate self-view) and “modesty” (hiding talent).
• Take ownership of your wins; it builds the team’s credibility, too.
• Set boundaries to ensure your openness isn’t mistaken for a lack of direction.
• Ensure your “I” statements are balanced with your “we” statements.
• Prepare a “personal impact” statement for high-level stakeholder meetings.
• Reflect on when your silence might be interpreted as a lack of confidence.

If you lean toward self-assured, you may:

• Trust your own intuition over the data provided by others
• Feel a need to have the “final word” in most discussions
• Focus on maintaining an image of strength and competence
• View dissenting opinions as a challenge to your authority

If you lean toward humble, you may:

• Publicly credit the team for successes and own the failures yourself
• Regularly ask “What am I missing?” or “How could I be wrong?”
• Value the expertise of others regardless of their title or rank
• Focus more on the “mission” than on your personal reputation

Humility helps when:

• Leading a high-talent team that values autonomy and respect
• Navigating a complex, unknown environment where you are not the expert
• Repairing trust after an organisational or personal failure
• Fostering a “learning culture” where experimentation is encouraged

Humility hurts when:

• The organisation is in a tailspin and needs a visible, “strong” hand
• You are negotiating in high-stakes environments where “strength” is the currency
• The team is looking for a “commander” to make a difficult, unpopular call
• The leader’s “quietness” is mistaken for a lack of vision or competence