Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Wisdom in Humility

Humility is a quality that’s present in the most effective leaders—one that benefits not only themselves, but the people around them

Guide Magazine

By Justine Van Bolhuis, Research Supervisor

One of my favourite book series is the Chief Inspector Gamache mysteries by Louise Penny. The series follows Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of the homicide department in the Sûreté du Québec.

In the first book, Still Life, Gamache is trying to get through to a new officer with mediocre investigative skills—and an even worse attitude. At one point, he pulls her aside and tells her that there are four things that lead to wisdom. “They are four sentences we learn to say, and mean,” he says. “I don’t know. I need help. I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

You might be as surprised as that new officer to hear the boss saying something like that. Humility is, true to form, an often-overlooked characteristic of leadership. But I think Gamache was onto something. Let’s look at each of the four sentences more closely.

1. I don’t know.

We might feel like we need to have all the answers. But sooner or later, we will come up against questions that we can’t answer or problems that we don’t know how to solve. But saying “I don’t know” doesn’t need to be the end of the conversation. We can commit to finding out more and seek the input of others in our workplace, benefiting from their wisdom and experience. Which leads us to . . .

2. I need help.

Some of us are over-committers. We fall into the pattern of taking on more and more until our plate is overflowing. Instead of asking for help, we continue to stubbornly spin our wheels until we’re hopelessly stuck. Wouldn’t it be far better if we could simply admit that we can’t do it all ourselves? A healthy workplace is one where each person feels comfortable asking for and accepting help when needed and gives help in return.

3. I’m sorry.

Canadians might be known for peppering their sentences with “Sorry!” But a sincere apology when we’ve messed up or hurt someone is a lot harder than saying a quick sorry. It takes a genuine acknowledgement of wrongdoing, an acceptance of responsibility for our words or actions, an expression of regret and remorse, and a commitment to make amends and do better moving forward.

4. I was wrong.

Owning up to our errors isn’t easy. It requires us to swallow our pride and be vulnerable. But a frank admittance of where we went wrong will earn us more respect from the people around us than a refusal to take responsibility.

What is the common ingredient in each of these four sentences? Humility. It’s the willingness to acknowledge our own limitations and seek the assistance of others, instead of trying to impress the people around us with our knowledge, skills, and abilities. It’s being able to admit when we made a mistake and seek to rectify the damage done, instead of pretending that we bear none of the blame. And it’s a quality that’s present in the most effective leaders, one that benefits not only themselves, but the people around them.

Wisdom in Humility

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