I write so frequently about humility because it eludes me.
“In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard to subdue as pride.” Benjamin Franklin
If you don’t grapple with arrogance, you’re pinned and don’t know it.
4 seductions of arrogance:
The seductions of arrogance compound the elusiveness of humility.
- Arrogance blinds you to personal weakness.
- Arrogance distorts your appreciation of strength in others.
- Arrogance prolongs ignorance under the guise of knowledge. The arrogant know. The humble learn.
- Arrogance tries to matter more through selective comparison. Someone’s always worse than you.
Arrogance, like salt, disappears when it’s active in your life.
Practice vs. character:
Character is developed through repeated behaviors.
Humility is first a practice. It becomes character quietly. You can’t prevent feelings of arrogance, but you can practice humble behaviors.
Practice is done in the sunshine. Character is revealed in the storm. You never really know who you are until waves build and the ship starts taking on water.
5 practices of humble leadership:
#1. Raising your hand when it’s time to take responsibility.
- You are responsible when your team struggles and fails.
- A lousy boss is a poor excuse for half-hearted service.
You’re arrogant when the weaknesses and failures of others consume your thinking.
#2. Clapping for the team when you work harder than others.
- Brag about others, especially when you feel like tooting your own horn.
- Say, “We,” most of the time.
#3. Combining passionate drive with humility.
The greatest rigor of humble leadership may be combining passionate drive with gentleness, kindness, and compassion.
You’re a doormat if you have humility but no drive.
#4. Courageously learning when you’re the smartest person in the room.
#5. Turning conversations toward others and away from yourself.
Feelings of superiority are the sweet elixir of arrogance.
What are some seductions of arrogance?
What are you going to do about arrogance in your life?
