Showing humility in the face of a challenge
This post is the final entry in the series of four, where we discuss ‘speaking up’ conversations and how these conversations require leadership, in the moment decision making and positive receivership to be successful.
In the last three entries we discussed leadership in the context of speaking up; regardless of role or status, we all can be the lion rather than the kitten, when faced with an in the moment decision to speak up or listen up. And that there is an equal leadership accountability of both the Sender of the speaking up message and the Receiver of that message. To Receive the message respectfully and to be able to change direction (of thought, of plan of care, of perception) in the moment, based on new information, takes self-management and leadership skills. I presented a three-step approach: Reset, Reframe, Engage (1).
The final element I would like to introduce is to show humility in these leadership moments.
Amy Edmondson in her book ‘Teaming’(2) states that to be an effective leader, regardless of the situation or role, requires situational humility. Situational humility is when leaders:
• Admit they don’t have all the answers; we learn faster through failure
• Being humble in the face of a challenge. When someone challenges us by speaking up, the Receiver demonstrating humility and respect will reduce the fear associated with speaking up and engage the team to further share their thinking
• Weigh up the options and make a decision that best fits the situation and is influenced by our values and underlying principles and the perspectives of others. As the Receiver, our original decision or direction of care may be completely right, but we need to be able to have this conversation respectfully and explain our thinking so there is a shared mental model.
So, what can we take away?
Leadership is not about title or role – How you receive the message can change the direction of the conversation and/or the path forward; having real impact on everyone around you now and into future interactions
As leaders, we don’t have to have all the answers. We can use situational humility; being humble in the face of a challenge
Get curious – about what others can bring, or insights they have of the situation and about what our own biases and filters may be – That’s being a positive Receiver
We all make micro-leadership decisions on a daily basis and in these micro-leadership moments, we all have the ability to be a lion and speak up or listen up!
From LinkedIn 21/12/2019: (2) Showing humility in the face of a challenge | LinkedIn