Preface

Seattle has spawned many organizations with global impact whose success and innovation have changed the way we live and work. The city thrives on energies from Amazon, Boeing, Costco, Microsoft, Starbucks, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to name only a few. It is in this rich climate that I have been fortunate to lead business executive programs at two universities for the past two decades. This gave me the opportunity to work with a number of CEOs who are brilliant leaders. I have been inspired by their commitment to leading well and privileged to see the positive effects they have on followers and organizational outcomes. I have also seen the negative effects caused by many other leaders—and I have made and learned from mistakes of my own.

Over time, it became clear to me that there is one variable at the heart of leadership that is far too often overlooked. That variable is humility. It guides a leader’s behaviors by placing central importance on the fact that others’ dignity matters. This book shines a light on this underrecognized subject. It explains why leader humility is so needed—and it shows how leaders can improve performance by knowing and using the six keys to leader humility that others monitor very closely. This is not merely my opinion. There is sound research on the value of humility in leadership. And there are great leaders who prove that humility works.

It is timely and urgent that we talk about this topic. Events on our world stage highlight issues of character and behavior among leaders as they grapple with very complex problems. In the United States and abroad, many people are appalled by the arrogance and lack of integrity we see at the highest levels of government. Nearly all feel dismayed by our leaders’ collective dysfunction as we face global challenges like a viral pandemic, trade, immigration, climate change, and information accuracy. Most people want a better approach to leadership.

The need for better business leadership is equally urgent. Businesses face many complex challenges: volatile economies, technological change, global markets for trade and labor, cybersecurity, impacts of climate change, and a younger generation that is jaded from past corporate misdeeds and adept at using social media to expose missteps. Business executives need to engage well with employees, customers, shareholders, community activists, and regulators who often have strong and conflicting views. In order to succeed, leaders must be able to bring divergent groups together and forge consensus on a path forward. Power plays, personal attacks, and harsh elbows work entirely against this. And without leadership that can align these stakeholders, businesses can’t generate profits, sustain growth, support diversity, innovate, or contribute positively to the needs of society.

Fundamentally, leadership requires working together. We need leaders who can do this well to resolve our global and domestic challenges, whether in business, nonprofits, or government. And leader humility—a tendency to feel and display deep regard for others’ dignity—is essential for working together well with all stakeholders.

It is now so important for us to understand the imperative of leader humility for working together that I was moved to write this book to show its extraordinary power as a way forward. As part of this project, I interviewed a select group of twelve prominent presidents and CEOs of major organizations who embrace a humble approach to leadership. My sample is small, yet compelling: these leaders represent dynamic companies, most of which are global in scope with widely recognized brand names. Collectively, these leaders employ hundreds of thousands of people, manage or generate trillions of dollars of revenue each year, and contribute significantly to domestic and/or global productivity. The richness of the book is that it draws not only on my experience but on the collective wisdom of these highly successful leaders. The book also discusses how leader humility applies to large organizations as well as to smaller ones.

If you want to lead well, this book is designed for you. The material here is appropriate for current leaders of all levels across industry, government, and nonprofit organizations. It is also appropriate for aspiring leaders, as well as for graduate students of business, educational administration, and public affairs. If you work in leadership development, this book holds content that is important for change agents and organizational leaders who select and develop leaders. And if you are another type of stakeholder, such as someone who works for leaders or chooses leaders by voting, this book should help you by sharpening your understanding of effective versus ineffective leader behaviors.

Chapters 1 through 3 provide an essential foundation for understanding leader humility. They show why it is important for working together by linking it to human dignity. They include a model of leader humility that is derived from three questions people ask or wonder about leaders and the behaviors that people monitor when forming their own answers. Chapters 4 through 6 take the three questions one at a time, explaining specific behaviors (keys) that demonstrate leader humility. These chapters tie behaviors that are under a leader’s control to leadership responsibilities—such as attracting and retaining talent, diversity management, and so on—and provide a list of dos and don’ts. Ideas for action are included in most chapters throughout the book.

The third section of the book brings the material together and shows how it is integrated in practice. Chapter 7 is guest-authored by Alan Mulally, who explains his well-regarded Working Together Management System and shows how it is anchored in humility. Chapter 8 illustrates how these ideas scale to smaller organizations and how leader humility generates thriving versus toxic organizations. It also provides examples of organizational policies that support others’ dignity. Chapter 9 offers my observations on factors that led to humility formation across the CEOs I interviewed, suggests how it can be developed in adult leaders, and provides reflection, questions, and exercises for developing personal humility. Bios of each of the leaders I interviewed are included here. In chapter 10, the book closes by discussing the relevance of this material for business and beyond.

In my experience, most leaders—and aspiring leaders—want to be highly effective. This book holds essential information to help you do that, because leader humility is subtle yet very powerful for working together. It is the secret that many leaders need to create thriving organizations and great results.

Marilyn Gist
Seattle, Washington