Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Good Leaders are Humble


I’m taking a graduate class from Liberty and we are focusing a lot on leadership.  I’ve been thinking about leaders I have known and which ones were most effective.  I’ve tried to think about what a good leader should be like.

One big trait that needs to be present in a good leader is humility.  Humility is not understood or admired by our culture.  Our culture doesn’t want a leader to look weak.  Being humble and helping others is seen as a sign of weakness.  Most leaders view themselves as being there to be served.  They think they will lose the respect of their subordinates and their superiors if they stoop down to help others.

We say we appreciate humility in others but we rarely want it for ourselves.  After all, humility is not what gets us ahead in life.  We like humble people because they don’t threaten our position.  They are safe to be around. 

Humility is not the result of low self-esteem.  If you think about Jesus, he didn’t feel inferior.  Jesus never struggled with insecurity.  Jesus was our model for humility. 

True humility comes from inner security.  Genuinely humble people are aware of their gifts, their training, their experience, and all the attributes that make them successful at what they do.  That humble assessment gives them the security they need to be humble. 

Humble people are so concerned with the needs of others that they don’t even notice themselves.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  Philippians 2:3-4

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