Search
Sign In Join
Sign In Join

Inc.: Multiple Studies Show Humble Leaders Are the Most Effective Leaders. But What Is a Humble Leader?

09 May 2023
If you're sometimes hesitant and often unsure, take heart. Science says you have a good chance of becoming a great leader.

Originally found at Inc.

Hear the words "great leader" and a few attributes probably spring to mind. Authoritative. Charismatic.  Confident -- in their ideas, their opinions, and in themselves. Respected, if not always liked.

That, at least is the stereotype. Yet if I think about the best boss I ever worked for, none of those words -- except "respected" and "liked" -- describe her. She was quiet. Often questioned her decisions, and invited others to do the same. 

So why was she such a good leader? Research shows humble leaders tend not just to be more likable, but also to be more effective. 

As the authors of a study published in Academy of Management Journal write:

... leader humility involves leaders modeling to followers how to grow and produces positive organizational outcomes by leading followers to believe that their own developmental journeys and feelings of uncertainty are legitimate in the workplace.

Continue reading the original article at Inc.

Read the original research in Academy of Management Journal.

Learn more about the AOM Scholars and explore their work: