Time for a large slice of humble pie?

Interesting article exploring the value of humility.

Whilst the conventional image of leadership may be grounded in one of bullish command, this posits that a less domineering and circumspect example can actually be more effective.

No one can know all of the answers all of the time, but how they approach (and ultimately handle, personally or through the agency and help of others) trying situations is what elevates great leaders.

In the current climate, where galvanising leadership is craved, a fork or spoon (to eat that humble pie) may be a better instrument of inspiration and realisation than the stick.

It’s more than two millennia since the philosopher Socrates argued that humility is the greatest of all virtues. His timeless observation was that the wisest people are the first to admit how little they really know. Science has been slow to catch up to this argument, but the last decade has offered a spate of new studies examining this trait and its effects on our thinking and reasoning. According to this research, people with greater humility are better learners, decision-makers and problem solvers. One study even found that someone’s humility could trump actual IQ in predicting their performance. The latest findings suggest that the trait is especially important for leaders, with evidence that displays of humility can improve strategic thinking and boost the performance of colleagues across an organisation. www.bbc.com/...