Great leaders are charismatic. They have strong convictions and fiercely defend their positions.
Their aura is so strong that everyone can’t help but turn their attention to them. These are people like Jeff Bisons, Mark Cuban, and Elon Musk, who is known for his words: “I say something and then it usually happens. Maybe not on schedule, but it’s happening. ”
In other words, great leaders are extremely confident, and that confidence pays off. But not always.
According to a 2012 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Management, modest leaders are not only more liked by the people who work for them but are usually more effective in their work. But what does it mean to be a “modest” leader?
“We found that modesty in management is based on several things. In the first place, it includes leaders who set an example to their employees on how to grow and achieve positive results for the company. Leaders who show off show their subordinates that it is normal to sometimes feel insecure in the workplace. Modesty in leadership affects a wide range of management issues, including organizational development and the evolution of the leader-follower relationship, the study’s authors write. More on the topic
If we have to paraphrase what is said in a non-academic way, researchers say that modest leaders are more responsive, approachable, and empathetic.
Another study from 2011 shows that modest leaders are more than twice as likely to spend more time with those who need their support and help than other leaders. And this brings results. Leaders who help their needy workers, whether through additional training, monitoring, networking, or simply by giving them a second chance, play a key role in turning mediocre employees into good workers and good employees into great ones. This is because they know that no one achieves something truly significant completely alone.
Research reveals other facts. They find a connection between modesty and the desire for self-improvement (which leader does not benefit from the constant search for new knowledge and skills?), Modesty and the ability to remain confident, even facing failure, which leader would not benefit more from positivism in the middle of a crisis?) and the link between modesty and the ability to build stronger social ties (which leader would not want to be able to rely entirely on his employees?)
Another study from 2011 shows that modesty is a “unique indicator” that predicts a person’s performance at work. In other words, humble people are not only good leaders but also good employees.
If we have to conclude from all that has been said so far, it is that social, charismatic, and confident people are often perceived as leaders. However, being perceived as a leader is not the same as being a leader, especially in the eyes of the people you lead. In the end, the most important thing is the results. If they have a choice, employees would prefer to work for someone approachable, empathetic, and responsive. A person who admits his own mistakes and shortcomings and works to eliminate or overcome them. A person who is ready to help others achieve the same. A person who knows that he cannot achieve everything alone. In short, they would like to work for a humble leader.
