Building Workplace Joy: The Art of Humility

In “Leaders Eat Last,” Sinek describes how powerful a service-based, ego-less, selfless leadership style can be. Qualities such as humility and self-sacrifice are actually what make a leader, versus what we are often taught in the modern business world.

“Great leaders don’t need to act tough. Their confidence and humility serve to underscore their toughness.” — Simon Sinek

What are we taught? Showing humility, kindness, and vulnerability are all signs of weakness. The ruthless, forceful, assertive, ambitious, gregarious, outgoing personalities make the most effective leaders — or at least are given the chance more often. These are the folks who are promoted into management and leadership roles not because they are natural leaders (and some may be), but because we have all been spoon-fed this falsehood of what true leadership is.

Many texts have inspired me to aspire to a service-based, quiet leadership style versus the brash, overt, egocentric leadership style. I can’t recommend these three books more:

• “True North” by Bill George
• “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek
• “Quiet” by Susan Cain

It also comes from having witnessed this type of leadership on rare occasion. One experience that had a major impact on me was…