Follow Jesus’ example (Humility)
This blog is the fourth in a new series on excellence in leadership. Drawn from Chapter 11 of my book “More Than Your Business Card,” it explores Jesus’ conduct as the perfect example we are called to imitate.
GREAT LEADERS ARE HUMBLE
Inextricably bound up in the servanthood paradigm is the character trait of humility. Humble has several different meanings, including “not proud or haughty” and “ranking low in a hierarchy or scale” (Merriam-Webster). The latter meaning would seem to stand against typical organizational hierarchies that accord greater status to those of higher rank. However, according to Saint Augustine (generally acknowledged as one of history’s greatest thought leaders), humility is the cornerstone virtue. In Augustine’s view, all other virtues are inauthentic if humility is lacking.
As with servanthood, the humble leader places a very high value on other people, regardless of their position in the social or marketplace hierarchy. Humble leaders affirm the intrinsic worth of their followers, as well as their ability to contribute to the mission of the organizations they lead. Is there evidence that humble leadership is good for business? A Forbes magazine article titled “The Value of Humility in Leadership” by Karen Higginbottom addresses this question. Higginbottom provides several examples supporting this thesis, including the 2001 study by Jim Collins from his book “Good to Great.” She writes, “His researchers found two distinct characteristics among the leaders of these [the outperforming] companies: humility and a steely determination to do the right thing for the company, no matter how painful.”
Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of humble leadership. In his letter to the fledgling church at Philippi, the apostle Paul described Jesus as follows:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!
The magnitude of Jesus’ humility is breathtaking. According to Scripture, God the Creator loved every one of us so much that He entered the world He created to serve us (His creatures) by dying for us. There has never been and never will be a better example of stooping low!
Humility manifests in our day-to-day lives through our words and actions.
Humility manifests in our day-to-day lives through our words and actions. If we think ourselves superior to others, we will tend to treat them as less knowledgeable and wise than we are. By extension, we might treat their thoughts as less valuable than ours. Not only is such treatment unbecoming of followers of Jesus, it ultimately undermines our success in life in general and the marketplace in particular. The truth is that, unlike God, none of us is all-knowing and all-wise.
Given this reality, it follows that a lack of humility can cut us off from receiving ideas and wisdom from others! If others seem reluctant to share their thoughts with us, could it be that we aren’t manifesting humility?
Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay
