Canadian Government Executive - Volume 26 - Issue 01

20 / Canadian Government Executive // January/February 2020 MIDDLE MANAGEMENT Learning and living humility By John Wilkins God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference. — REINHOLD NIEBUHR (1943): SERENITY PRAYER A leader was asked, “Who is your greatest enemy?” The ironic re- ply was, “Every morning, I see that person in the mirror.” We can be our own worst enemy. It is hard at times to get out of our own way. How do leaders confront the enemy within their organization, team, workplace, or themselves? Where do they find internal peace? Shalom is Hebrew for peace. It means fullness, completeness, wholeness, calm- ness, harmony without anxiety or stress. It connotes a sense of vitality and passion that penetrates the very fibre of being hu- man. Shalom is found when we set the right priorities and keep the right per- spective. Peace is so much more than the absence of conflict. It is also a condition of the heart, mind, and relationships. It allows intimacy, fellowship, and goodwill among people. Everyone wants peace, but most of us experience more stress than peace. How do we live in peace while dealing with stress? Modelling humility Seventeenth century French author François de La Rochefoucauld wrote, “Nothing is so contagious as example; and we never do any great good or evil which does not produce its like.” Lead- ers who lead by example show precisely how specific behaviours influence orga- nizational performance. Even narcissis- tic leaders can have positive effects on followers when their narcissism is tem- pered by humility. Humility is an interpersonal character- istic that indicates willingness to view oneself accurately, openness to new ideas and feedback, and appreciation of others’ strengths and contributions. Psychomet- ric studies demonstrate that leader humil- ity influences team interaction patterns and performance. When leaders behave humbly, followers emulate their behav- iours, enhancing collective humility and team potential. Humility is teachable and learnable. It is at the heart of emotional intelligence. A 2017 Harvard Business Review framework sets out four domains, nested with twelve competencies: 1. Self-awareness – emotional self-awareness; 2. Self-management – emotional self-control, adaptability, achieve- ment orientation, positive outlook; 3. Social awareness – empathy, organizational awareness; and 4. Relationship management – influence, coaching and mentorship, conflict management, teamwork, inspirational leadership. Leaders need to develop balanced strengths across these competencies for performance to follow. Self-assessments and 360-degree tools are used to pinpoint abilities, predict leadership outcomes, and chart satisfaction. Large gaps between self-ratings and others’ assessments indi- cate fewer strengths and poorer results. Coaching is effective in reducing skill deficits and in creating room for career growth. Public humiliation can be confidence- crushing for leaders who take pride in appearing to have it all together. It can also be a transformative pathway to per- sonal growth. It starts with letting go of false pride and refocusing on the people you are privileged to lead. Self-esteem is grounded in self-respect and improves with experiential learning from uncom- fortable exposures. Nothing rivets person- al fidelity more than having to be a role model. Calling servant leaders In traditional African societies, leader- ship succession is a serious decision. Great care is taken in selecting the next chief or ruler. Besides lineage, successors must be strong, fearless, and sensible. Candi- dates are questioned to determine if they will serve the people or rule with a heavy hand. Successors need to serve, as well as to lead. They need wisdom for the humil- ity to serve rather than be served. Wisdom resides with the well-advised who listen, learn, and allow themselves to be instructed. There is wisdom in those who humble themselves – those who set aside selfish ambition, acknowledge their limits of understanding, listen to other points of view, allow their ideas to be cor- rected. This kind of wisdom spreads peace wherever it goes. Selfishness and superiority can divide people, such that a house divided cannot stand. Humility unites. It is the quality of being one in spirit and of mind. Disagree- ments can be diffused by giving up the right to be right. Humility calls upon grace and gentleness instead of insisting on get- ting what we want. Humility values others above ourselves. In public service, the ethic is strong. Pub- lic servants are called daily to administer to excellence in public service. They do it selflessly and with humility. J ohn W ilkins is Associate: Public Management at York University. He was a career public servant and diplomat. (jwilkins@schulich.yorku.ca )