Humility & Trust
Why Trust Matters:
1. Team Cohesion
2. Healthy Culture
3. Growth Mindset
Each of these elements require a foundation of trust between the team, and when present they help teams reach their full potential. Trust requires humility, which is essentially the vulnerable acceptance of truth.
Alex Shootman, CEO of Workfront, shares his thoughts about vulnerability and humility: “I think of vulnerability as an element of humility. But humility isn’t about thinking you are worthless. Humility is believing you have great worth, great talent, great power, great ability, and that you are using all of that to help and serve everyone else.”
“[An] environment where we can be uncomfortably honest about our strengths, weaknesses, mistakes, and needs for help…[Where] people draw confidence and courage to get uncomfortable from the belief that although they alone cannot resolve every challenge, with a group effort we can figure things out.”
Brad Smith, CEO of Intuit describes the truth this way:
“The truth is that none of us are perfect. Deep down inside, each of us is painfully aware of the chinks in our own armor. Having the strength to express this common truth makes your teams feel better about both you, and them.”
When we break free from the unyielding pressure of having to appear as though we have it all together – having all the right answers, the right systems, the right way to say everything – and instead humbly accept what actually is, (regarding ourselves, our teammates, and our circumstances), we create an environment where trust is built. In this environment we can be uncomfortably honest about our strengths, weaknesses, mistakes, and needs for help. An environment with this kind of extreme humility creates a foundation of trust that encourages people to courageously ask for help when they need it. People draw confidence and courage to get uncomfortable from the belief that although they alone cannot resolve every challenge, with a group effort we can figure things out.
2 Ways Mindfulness Nurtures Humility
Mindfulness in many forms, including journaling, meditation, and self-reflection, helps us cultivate humility.
1. Cultivating Awareness
a. People tend to overestimate their personal contributions to successes and underestimate their personal contributions to failures. As mindfulness cultivates deeper presence, self and social awareness are strengthened, allowing us to see the truth and vulnerably accept it.
2. Connecting WHY
a. When people connect with their personal core values and goals – their WHY – they are often inspired to action as they consider a bigger perspective than self. Practicing mindfulness helps us to stay in touch with our values and purpose, which makes us less dependent on approval and accomplishments…freed from ego and pride we can humbly focus on what truly matters.
Behaviors of people demonstrating vulnerable humility include:
Ability to admit a mistake
Ability to listen without jumping to conclusions
A positive reputation as a humble leader
Quick to gently laugh at self, and to raise a hand to ask for help when needed
Graciously shares learning from ones own failures
Use of others ideas, and proper thanks and credit whenever due
*The top two are from a research study conducted using a tool to ask what factors contributed to recent promotions.
**The third is one of the top competencies displayed by leaders who had a positive impact on employee engagement and performance.