• To be a successful leader, humility is required.

• Humility enables us to acknowledge the values of others.

• Humility, combined with motivation, will create success.

TO BE A LEADER, YOU NEED TO POSSESS A HIGH DEGREE OF HUMILITY.

The author of the book, “Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALS Lead and Win,” Jocko Willink has stated, 

“What it has to do with is the fact that the person is not humble enough to accept responsibility when things go wrong, accept that there might be better ways to do things, and they just have a closed mind. They can’t change, and that’s what makes a person fail as a leader.”

Let’s review what this means. We learn to be successful. The ideal is to be competitive and assertive.

However, when you combine humility with motivation you will create success.

• Humility isn’t the same as low self-confidence.

• Being humble is about being open to improvement.

• Humility is also a virtue for inner well-being. If you don’t get your ego involved, frustrations and losses don’t have the same impact.

• We try to do our part as we view ourselves no more important than the next person.

• Gratitude can make us less self-focused and more focused on those around us.

• The hallmark of humility is to acknowledge the value of others. This can draw us closer to them.

Often the best option is to focus on humility without worrying about your level of confidence. Learn to be humble but not timid. You can’t get to the high life by being timid. Some people mistake timidity for humility.

Mother Teresa wrote about humility. She wrote in, “The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living:”

“These are the few ways we can practice humility:

To speak as little as possible of one’s self.

To mind one’s own business.

Not to want to manage other people’s affairs.

To avoid curiosity.

To accept contradictions and correction cheerfully.

To pass over the mistakes of others.

To accept insults and injuries.

To accept being slighted, forgotten and disliked.

To be kind and gentle even under provocation.

Never to stand on one’s dignity.

To choose always the hardest.”

Finally, working with children can assist us to gain humility as well. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the Russian author stated,

“The soul is healed by being with children.”

 As we coach our children to develop leadership skills, learning humility is a key element.