by Tim Roberts
Humility is underrated.
In a world that glorifies the winner's circle, encourages blatant self-promotion, and emphasizes individual achievement, modesty and unpretentiousness are sneered at. Yet humility is a distinctive feature of the trusted advisor.
Humility in many corporate boardrooms and government institutions sadly has become a sign of weakness. To give credit to someone else's idea in a spirit of deference somehow now violates strength of character. Still, those who are in charge of their principles, their knowledge of business---and of their people---and who validate the contributions of others, make the greatest impact toward the greater good. Right now, trust building is the greater good. Or at least it should be.
Trust insists on a two-way street. To trust or to gain the trust of another involves risk and vulnerability. Each requires great sums of humility.
Here at Sandler Training, Trustpointe, we have long encouraged people to "weigh in" with strength when and where appropriate. However, that does not exclude weighing in with humility at other times. The "Level 5" leaders of the world, defined by Jim Collins as the highest echelon of executives, need not offer their laurels for all to see. Actually, they are comfortable just knowing that they have provided insight marked by honor and integrity. The trophy for them is a well-satisfied client.
C.S. Lewis stated it well, "Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less." At Sandler Training, Trustpointe, we help our clients remember that true humility is a sign of strength. To learn more about trust-focused selling, contact Tim at tim@thetrustpointe.com or call 317.845.0041.
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