Since When are CEOs Humble?

You’re the CEO, so you think you know more about the business than anyone and for the things you don’t know – you’ll figure it out along the way. After all, you’ve got a business to run, so you have to move quickly and aggressively. Not quite actually. It’s a blessing to acknowledge when you come across something you don’t know, not a curse.

“The day you understand and acknowledge your weaknesses and embrace the power learning is the day you make great progress.” 

When you first start, you think if you don’t know something or the company can’t do something, it is a flaw. It’s quite the contrary. It’s critical that you understand, recognize, acknowledge and embrace your flaws and the company’s shortcomings. This is counterintuitive. Entrepreneurs are driven, intelligent and confident. Not knowing something seems like a sign of weakness. It’s actually the opposite. When you demonstrate humility and embrace learning, you can unlock great things in your team. However, humility has to be balanced. The day you understand and acknowledge your weaknesses and embrace the power of learning and humility is the day you make great progress.

• Balance with Confidence. First, it has to be balanced with a sense of confidence. If this humility is not balanced with strength, you can undermine the team’s belief in you and in the business. The key is finding the right mix.
• Balance with Genuine Intentions. Second, humility has to be genuine and never used to manipulate. When team members see their leaders genuinely willing to acknowledge mistakes or deficits in a particular area, it inspires them to discover their own confidence to act, take risks, and evaluate their own deficits. This leads to genuine improvement and self-development that will have many positive impacts for your company.