A leader is getting pressured to stop being so prickly and gain some humility. With her coach, she explores whether it’s even possible for humility to ever be a strength.

Core concepts in this episode:

• Humility is confidence without defensiveness.
• Assess yourself on the humility scale. “How do I respond to challenges?”
• Humble leaders are confident in their authority.
• Ask frequently: “How might I be wrong about this?”
• Humility requires active listening.

Questions addressed in this episode:

> Are humble leaders perceived as weak?

Some people may see humble leaders as weak, but humble leaders are actually confident in their authority.

> If humble leaders need confidence, will they be seen as arrogant?

No, because humble leaders do not fight for dominance. They invite the opinions of others and are non-defensive when challenged.

> How can I tell whether I am humble?

Ask yourself, “When I am challenged, what feelings do I experience?” Leaders who respond non-defensively are high in humility.

> What practices can I adopt to develop more humility?

Ask yourself frequently: “How might I be wrong about this?"

> What are the benefits to being a humble leader?

Your team will experience psychological safety and move towards high performance.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Humbitious: The Power of Low-Ego, High-Drive Leadership by Amer Kaissi explores how to be both ambitious and humble.

Links for coaches:

Join Tom and a community of coaches at the Executive Coaching Special Interest Group.

The Los Angeles Chapter of International Coach Federation offers countless opportunities for CCEs and community building.

If you’re in the L.A. area, join the ICF-LA March Chapter meeting. And be sure to say ‘hi’ to Tom! Register here.

Each month, we share additional tools in our monthly email.

If you’d like to explore Private Coaching with Tom, reach out to him at: tom@essentialcomm.com.

This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library:

Executive Presence

Leadership

Personal Growth & Self-Development

Related Episodes:

122 - Achieving Authenticity

146 - Building Empathy

248 - Building Listening

260 - How to Guarantee Psychological Safety

232 - Unlocking Executive Presence through Emotional Intelligence

Thank you so much for your reviews!

From The Look & Sound of Leadership

A chief officer is infuriated by the behavior of his egomaniacal CEO. With his coach, he explores how to be a healthy leader while reporting to a boss he doesn’t respect.

Core concepts in this episode:

• Egomaniacs rattle our sense of self.
• They will not change.
• Worrying does not help.
• Be accountable for how you show up. Manage yourself.
• Don’t take anything personally. They’re just a piece on a chess board.
• Ask yourself: “Am I seeing this person clearly?” Don’t allow emotions to drive your actions.
• Ask yourself: “How do I want to show up?” You have choice about what you prioritize and how you react in the workplace.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Crucial Conversations provides scripts and thoughts that will help you manage yourself when dealing with difficult people.

Tom and host Dave Stachowiak discussed “How to Handle a Boss Who’s a Jerk” on this episode of Coaching for Leaders. Great tools if you have a challenging boss.

Before sharing your reactions in the workplace, consider the politics around you. These two episodes will get you “Leading with Political Savvy” Parts 1 and 2.

Each month, there are additional tools in our monthly email.

If you’d like to explore Private Coaching, reach out to Tom. tom@essentialcomm.com.

This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library:

Managing Yourself

Leadership

Perception – How You Perceive Others

RELATED EPISODES

239- 5 Strategies for Dealing with Narcissists

189 - “Don’t Take Anything Personally”

245- Giving Upward Feedback

114- Gravitas

133- The Narcissist Executive

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your reviews!

Wishing you a year of growth and development!

From The Look & Sound of Leadership team, thank you so much for listening.

A senior vice-president worries that attention on his people’s development will get overwhelmed in the volume of work. He asks his coach for tools to make the process effective and efficient.

Download our free tool that maps the Three Conversations Development Plan.

Core Concepts

Prioritizing professional development is hard.

The 3-Conversation model makes development easy for the leader and meaningful for the person.

The three conversations in summary:

1. Define ‘what,’ ‘why’ and give homework;
2. The person reflects on the homework and how they plan to improve;
3. Periodic check-ins about the homework. ‘What are you learning?’

The leader’s role in these conversations:

• Clarify the ‘what’ and ‘why’
• Listen and encourage
• Ask, ‘What are you learning?’

You can sign-up for more resources and tools in our monthly email.

If you’re thinking about coaching for yourself, or for someone on your team, let’s talk. tom@essentialcomm.com.

This episode is tagged in three categories in our podcast library:

Feedback

Leadership

Management Skills

RELATED EPISODES

132 Coaching Your People

212 How to Coach Your People

258 How to Manage Defensive People

83 Leadership and Listening

206 Understanding Feedback

Thanks, as always, for your reviews!

Happy holidays.

Until next time, thanks so much for listening.

From The Look & Sound of Leadership team