Why is humility so relevant for leaders and can it be developed through coaching?
| Published date | 11 February 2019 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-10-2018-0088 |
| Date | 11 February 2019 |
| Pages | 30-33 |
| Author | Khalid Aziz |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour,Employee behaviour |
On another note
Why is humility so relevant for leaders and
can it be developed through coaching?
Khalid Aziz
Abstract
Purpose –When we think of a successful leader, we typically recall those powerful personalities
we see in the media, and there have been many over the decades. They propel a company to
stardom with a winning strategy, publish books, do the speaker circuits and everyone cel ebrates
their achievements. They were undoubtedly successful, but therein lies the issue. They were
successful. Things are different now. The current global landscape means problems encountered
in business are increasingly complex and require a collaborative approach to solving them. No
one person has all the right answers. Trial and error, embracing fail ure, accepting criticism and
learning from past mistakes are really the only ways to succeed. And they require leaders to
possess a very different set of personality traits, with humility now being one of the most
important.
Design/methodology/approach –There is a paradox here between the need to develop greater
humility and aspire to becoming ‘‘unsung heroes’’ when we are in an age where charismatic, often
egocentric, leaders have celebrity status. Why is humility as a trait so important today? Is it relevant
across the management spectrum, e.g. for junior/middle managers spotted as high potentials and
wishing to climb the ladder,or is it simply important rightat the very top of an organisation? What do HR
practitionersneed to know? What can HR practitionersdo to develop the required levels of humilityin their
managers/leaders? Can you learn to become more humble through coaching? What really works in
practice?
Findings –As a leadership coach, the author is often asked whether it is possible to coach an
individual to develop humility, and the short answer is yes, it is possible to be coached. Most
people already have humility inside them, but many leaders have learned to behave in the
opposite way and adopt the traditional ‘‘hero’’ persona instead. They will tend to only display it if
there’s a genuinely humble culture permeating the organisation from the top. Get that right and
any developmental issues will typically take care of themselves. This paper explains how to take
these initial steps.
Originality/value –This is useful for all HR professionals responsible for learning and development strategy
in their organisations, including those who provide or specify leadership coaching as an intervention.
Keywords Human Resource Management, Leadership, Capabilities,Coaching, Learning and
Development, Collective Leadership
Paper type Viewpoint
When we think of a successful leader, we typically recall those powerful
personalities we see in the media. Therehave been many over the decades. They
propel a company to stardom with a winning strategy, publish books, do the
speaker circuits and everyone celebrates their achievements. They were undoubtedly
successful, but therein lies the issue. They were successful. Things are different now.
Whether your organisation operates in the commercial or not-for-profit sectors, the current
Khalid Aziz is Founder
and Chairman at Aziz
Corporate, Portsmouth, UK.
PAGE 30 jSTRATEGIC HR REVIEW jVOL. 18 NO. 1 2019, pp. 30-33, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1475-4398 DOI 10.1108/SHR-10-2018-0088
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