Ep 269 | NDO Core Value Word #5 - Humility

Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick, and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. And let's hope that every day brings an opportunity to get better, because if you can't tell, I sound pretty terrible right now because I'm trying to get better from the flu that I managed to pick up. Last week at a 5th grade field trip. So, um, I apologize. I know I sound pretty terrible. Uh, hopefully though, in the coming days I start to sound a bit better because I want to talk about a lot of important things here at No Days Off. And maybe the most important stuff I think we're talking about here as of late are our core value words. We've been running a core value word series. We've covered 4 words so far: grit, Integrity, generosity, and courage. These core value words, these are the words that guide the decisions we make, how we act, how we lead. It's what the No Days Off Nation stands for. We're gritty. We act with integrity. We're generous. We act with courage. Today we're going to talk about the core value word number 5, which is humility. Now, what is humility? Humility is a modest or low view of one's own importance. It's humbleness. If you act with humility, you act with— you're humble. It is the quality of being humble. At the No Days Off podcast, if you're part of the No Days Off Nation, we act with humility, hence why it's a core value word. Now we're all aspiring to be better leaders each and every day. And I firmly believe that those leaders that act with humility are better leaders than others. Now, how can you act with humility? What are ways you can lead with humility? That's what I want to talk about today. Okay? So as a leader, how could you act with humility? Number 1, share the power. Just because you have a formal leadership position does not make you any more important than anybody else. As a matter of fact, nothing makes any single human being better than another. Respect is earned, right? We know this. So share the power. Just because you have a title doesn't mean you own the power. Those that act with humility, they share the power. As a matter of fact, they may influence decisions more than anybody else around them knows because they don't have a desire to be out front. When you act with humility, you are sharing the power. You're allowing others to thrive, and you may be even taking a step back just to do that. Number 2, if you're going to lead with humility, you've got to think and act on behalf of others instead of yourself. Having humility demands that we put our, our self-importance and our pride aside. And this is pretty hard. We've got to quiet our egos. We've got to do the opposite of what our survival instinct forces us to do innately, which is to look after ourselves. C.S. Lewis said that humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less. I love that quote. So if you want to lead with humility, think and act on behalf of others instead of yourself. Number 3, give away the credit. You know, I think that as a leader, It is your job to take all bullets. There's a problem, you step in front of that bullet, you take it on, you accept the responsibility for that problem or even that failure. But when there's a victory, when the team thrives, you step out of the way and you give away the credit. That's what acting with humility is about— gifting the credit of achievements to others for something that you may have put some hard work into getting done— is sometimes seen as the ultimate injustice. I see it as a sacrifice. I see it as a sacrifice made by those that thrive or that really aim to operate with humility. Those with humility know there's absolutely nothing worthy of celebration that can possibly be achieved alone, and that ultimately the success of the organization is always a reflection of and a credit to you, whether you get any praise for it or not, right? So you don't need the spotlight. You give away the credit. Next thing I think about in terms of operating with humility, leading with humility, graciously recognize and acknowledge your mistakes and acknowledge your areas for improvement. I think the most honorable leaders, the most humble leaders, the most courageous Leaders, they acknowledge their errors. Showing those people above you, those below you, that you have self-awareness and that you have emotional intelligence to admit the times where you've acted, you know, maybe, maybe in the wrong way, or you made a poor decision. That shows that you're humble. It shows that you have humility. You are modeling a behavior and hopefully influencing those around you. Number 5, silence your own opinions to give a voice to others. If you're going to lead with humility, take a step back and listen, listen to others before you chime in, if you even do chime in. Now, this is really challenging, I think, for most leaders because, well, a lot of leaders are pretty insightful. They probably do have a lot of strong opinions that are oftentimes right. Sometimes these opinions, you know, you feel provoked to share or even defend your character or your decisions or your skillset or your integrity, but you've got to put your ego aside. Again, this is the part of us that's designed for survival. Accept other people's opinions and resist the desire to say your piece. Just because you do that doesn't make you submissive or weak. It's an act of humility. The last couple things I think about when I'm thinking about leading with humility, always ask how you can help. We've heard about this term servant leadership. Servant leadership's a philosophy of leadership that encourages the leader to share their power for the greater good of the organization and the greater good of the people that form it, form that organization. And we could all help more and tell a little less, I think. As leaders. Tell less. So ask how you can help. Practice servant leadership. Next, believe that everyone's inherently good and trust in others completely. This is— this takes a big act of humility. Leaders who build the most effective teams and the strongest cultures are the ones who trust completely without question and continue to give everyone the benefit of the doubt until they unquestionably prove to have some sort of malicious intent. The best leaders trust. They don't waste their time pointing fingers and not trusting others. And when it doesn't work out, so be it. But it, but it makes you mentally healthier and more emotionally stable if you just simply trust. This is an act of humility. Lastly, make sure that you assess, evaluate, and review, but never judge. Uh, leaders that act with humility, they assess, they evaluate, they review, but they don't cast judgment. They look at facts. Staff, your staff, the people you're leading depend on you for feedback. And they depend on you to deliver it without prejudice and without judgment. Now, in order to review without judgment, you've got to have some humility. Having humility doesn't mean agreeing with everyone or ignoring the things that need to be addressed, but it does mean delivering feedback constructively and sticking only to the facts. Now, I'm sure there's other ways that you can lead with humility. But those are the things that come to mind for me as I strive to be a better leader, as I strive to act with more humility. So as I go through that list, or as you go through that list, I should say, in which areas could you make some improvements? Where are you showing up with humility, but in other areas or not? What can you take from today's conversation and immediately take action around today? That's all I have for you today. The No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.