In his book, “The Ideal Team Player”, Patrick Lencioni identifies humility as one of the three most important virtues any team player must possess. Humility does not sound very exciting, but he defines it as an accurate self-view. Your view of yourself is balanced not only between understanding how you can contribute to the team, but also how you need to rely on other’s strengths as well.
Humility also means we do not put ourselves in front of or behind others. It acknowledges that we are worthy of respect and need to demonstrate respect to others. In fact, it is difficult to respect ourselves, or others, without humility. Humility and respect form the foundation for trust to be built.
If someone is humble, they seek others good. They give praise to others, and understand how to work interdependently. They receive constructive feedback and seek to grow in their knowledge and expertise. The humble person accomplishes far more because they are not overly focused on protecting or promoting themselves.
How humble are you? Consider the last time you demonstrated respect to others, praised others, thanked someone for their feedback, or worked interdependently with your team. These questions provide clues to our success not only as a team member, but also as a leader.
