Page 148 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

HOW DO I BUILD A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT? (EFFECTIVE WORK CULTURE OR SETTING)

FIGURE 6.1 Leadership Arrogance, Decline, Humility, and Prosperity

Leadership
High
arrogance or hubris

Decline
Economic Success
Prosperity

Leadership humility
Low

Time

comparable CEOs for the three years after winning their
award, suggesting that if such awards promote arrogance they
do their recipients and their employees a real disservice. 2
The liability of success can be overcome as leaders avoid
arrogance and complacency and remain learning focused
and service oriented. (See Figure 6.1.) Humble leaders take
the blame for mistakes and share credit for success. They
talk less about personal accomplishments and more about
others’ achievements. They focus on giving rather than
receiving service. They don’t boast about what has been but
focus on the challenges yet ahead. Jim Collins in Good to
Great notes the importance of leadership humility, labeling
it a key factor in “Level 5 leadership.” Humble leaders have
3
also been called servant leaders, who don’t need to always get
their way, who admit that others may be right, who express
appreciation for insights, who seek to learn, and who help
others do their job. 4

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