One of the most crucial qualities of a leader is self-awareness. You must know your abilities, limitations, and emotional weaknesses to succeed as a leader. Humility and pride can lift you up or destroy your entrepreneurial journey and your life.
I am Gordon Grigg, and my goal is to help people learn from my mistakes as well as from my successes.
I hope that the knowledge and scars I’ve acquired will assist others who aspire to be leaders in successfully dealing with similar issues of humility and pride.
Pride is a Killer Humility is a Winner
Remember that pride is a killer. Humility is a winner. So pride is the ultimate killer—often silent but always fatal! As a leader, it may be effortless to let our achievements, accolades, titles, etc. affect our judgment and cause us to start believing that the situation is all about us.
We can think that it is all about our abilities, networks, skills, and other personal traits. In reality, it isn’t about you, although our contributions as people and leaders are significant in various ways. Unfortunately, I have fallen into this trap. I’ve also seen some leaders lose sight of this and let their egos and pride get in the way of what would have been great accomplishments.
Pride comes in many forms, and they are all terrible.
Being proud is different from feeling proud.
Feeling proud and recognizing your accomplishments and strengths encourages continued good behavior. You become more motivated to succeed.
On the other hand, being overly proud can come across as self-centered and arrogant.
According to Aristotle, pride is the crown of the virtues.
He defined a proud person as one who believes they are worthy of great things. He agreed that people must be aware of their talents and feel confident in themselves, but this self-assurance shouldn’t rise to the level of severe narcissism or lofty ideals. Instead, they can act on their sense of value and strive for success.
We compete with one another far too often. We learned that winners take all. But, unfortunately, most people think that the only way to be successful is to put others down or be better than them.
It is vanity to believe we deserve wonderful things when we do not. However, it is cowardly to believe that we deserve less than we are.
True humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less ~ Rick Warren
Anyone who has participated in a successful team knows the benefits of humility in leadership and teamwork. No matter what your title or position is on a team or in an organization, be humble in your role as a leader. Understand that humility is both an enormous gift and a holy obligation.
Pride and arrogance are best treated with humility, and it may be the only thing that works.
People you serve will understand that it isn’t about you if your focus as a leader is on serving others and ensuring every person you are responsible for feels secure, heard, respected, challenged, and supported.
The best leaders must master the balance between confidence and humility.
Overconfidence makes us ignorant. Nobody enjoys being around a know-it-all. Therefore, it hurts our relationships as well.
Finding a balance between confidence and humility is one of the most valuable qualities an entrepreneur can have.
Confidence is essential for any entrepreneur. However, if your pride allows it, it can turn into egoism and arrogance.
Humility is no good if it keeps entrepreneurs from promoting their businesses.
The best leaders must master the interaction between the two.
Review your Humility and Pride
Being proud ruins our lives. It produces an exaggerated self that we must protect at all costs. We see all criticism as an attack on us.
Don’t live miserably. Instead, focus on lowering your ego. You won’t need to conflict with others if your identity is not under attack.
Life is not a competition to be won, but rather a journey to be enjoyed. Recognize the positive; resist the need to dominate others.
Without the assistance of others, you could not succeed. Pride has no place when we realize that it’s better to be around friends than rivals.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a quick fix. It takes time to rethink the connection with our ego, which we spend our entire lives feeding.
Start by considering how pride affects your life.
Recognize the distinction between being and feeling proud. The satisfaction of a task well done is the first. The latter is a warped, exaggerated representation of who you really are.
You can use your pride as a tool for growth. First, see how your pride manifests by testing it. Excessive pride indicates what we need to work on.
Do you have self-confidence issues with a specific trait? For example, do you think you’re more or less than you are? Do you view others as competitors or allies?
“Think: all men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil: the only crime is pride.” – Sophocles
Getting back in touch with what we don’t know helps us control our ego.
Additionally, intellectual humility might aid in overcoming our ego.
Humility is one of the hardest qualities for many of us to cultivate since it requires admitting that you are not always right and do not have all the answers.
Additionally, it fosters self-acceptance, which many of us find difficult.
Try one or more of the following actions to attempt to foster humility:
Spend time listening to others.
Being humble means valuing other people and allowing them to be heard. One of the best ways to start doing this is to take the time to listen to people, find out what they think and value, and let them express themselves.
Don’t forget that you’re just listening to them and responding as a person; you’re not trying to solve their problems or give them answers.
Accept your faults
Accepting your flaws instead of judging yourself for them is a key part of being humble. But, of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to get better. Just do it constructively rather than criticize yourself for your flaws.
Be grateful for what you have.
In other words, stop and “count your blessings” and express gratitude for them. It is simple to fall into a vicious cycle of constantly seeking more.
If you need assistance, ask for it.
Humility is recognizing when we need help and respectfully asking for it.
Request feedback from others
Although leaders may find this important, everyone can benefit from knowing what others think of them. Please take some time to ask others for feedback, preferably anonymously, and make it clear that you value what they have to say. Be open to hearing the suggestions, then express gratitude.
Work on your Humility and Pride with a recognized expert
Now I can think about my life, career, and leadership journeys, as well as my self-awareness, struggles, and victories when it comes to humility and pride. I learn everything about humility and pride from my mistakes. They ruined my life in a short period of time. Don’t let yourself make the same mistakes.
Contact me, and let me share my success tactics with you.
