Which Quality Distinguishes the Very Best Leaders?

In recent years, there has been a lot of discussion (and research) on leader humility. In traditional views of leadership, however, this may be puzzling. Leaders need to be confident and self-assured. Humility seems to be the opposite of self-confidence. In reality, a leader’s humility is what helps a leader realize that he or she doesn’t know everything. It is leader humility that triggers a leader to seek out expert advice, to give followers a voice in decisions, and to consult with stakeholders. It is also what causes a great leader to diminish one’s own sense of self-importance and realize that the aims and goals of the organization or collective are of utmost importance.

A meta-analysis of research on leader humility found that the biggest impact of a humble leader tends to be on energizing followers to higher levels of performance (Chandler et al., 2023). Followers and team members view leader humility positively.

In short, the humble leader does not lack self-confidence but rather realizes that their confidence is an outgrowth of their passion and commitment to the cause. The leader believes that change will happen through persistence, hard work, and knowing that you are doing the right thing (and that you are the person to help get it done). The cause becomes bigger than the leader, and the leader is serving the cause. When the cause is directed toward making things better for those you represent—whether they be the citizens of a nation, or the employees and customers of a business enterprise—the very best leaders are humbled by the magnitude of the responsibility. So, a leader may possess both strong self-confidence and humility, which helps leaders subordinate their egos to the importance of the cause.

The opposite of humility is arrogance. Arrogant leaders, in contrast, tend to believe that they know it all and are greater and more important than the cause. As followers, we are drawn to leaders who appear to be powerful and effective, but we should also seek out and support those leaders who have humility, those who clearly recognize and convey that the cause is bigger than they are. We need to avoid those leaders who obviously are putting themselves, and their egos, ahead of the cause. We read about those kinds of leaders every day. For ultimate success for an organization, a political movement, or a business, the extraordinary but humble leader will always trump the arrogant one.

One characteristic that keeps emerging in our own research is the leader’s ability to step back from their own worldview and see things from others’ perspectives. It is this perspective-taking ability that allows the humble leader to get out of their own head and focus on how their actions will affect others and the outcome.