Humility in Business is a Cheat Code

Summary

• Always maintain humility to avoid getting consumed by pride and ego, which can harm your ability as a leader to grow and to effectively manage your team.
• Remember that true power is a danger without humility; it can lead to you becoming untouchable and treating others poorly, which has ruined businesses.
• Avoid letting success go to your head; I saw this firsthand when some gym leaders at Gym Launch became arrogant and their team's opinion of their leadership plummeted.
• Make decision-making about what is right, not who is right, as this fosters team growth and focuses on achieving collective goals over individual accolades.
• Prioritize hiring and promoting individuals who show humility and fire those who are driven by ego and pride; skill alone shouldn't warrant a promotion if teamwork is being compromised.
• Understand that humility is a better indication of potential than overconfidence; an inflated self-view stunts growth and impacts the whole team negatively.
• Being open to admitting to having deficits is key to personal growth and team progress.
• Acknowledge your mistakes openly, create solutions to prevent repetition, and then move on without dwelling on them; this encourages a culture of learning and accountability.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help; it builds relationships, is a sign of strength, and contributes to the success of the entire team.
• Practice active listening by exploring, acknowledging, and responding properly during conversations; this will make you a better teammate and leader.
• Remember that improvement is continuous; identify your weakest skill related to humility and commit to working on it.
• Humility isn't self-doubt or silence; it's having an accurate assessment of your strengths and weaknesses and using them to contribute effectively.
• Always give credit to your team rather than seeking individual recognition, and avoid becoming defensive or resistant to change due to pride.

Video

How To Take Action

I would suggest focusing on reminding yourself that you're part of a team, and it's not just about "me," but about "us." Here's a plan to put humility into practice:

1. Stay Grounded: Every day, take a moment to remind yourself that you are part of a bigger picture, and that you didn't get where you are alone. A quick look at customer feedback or employee suggestions can keep you grounded.

2. Decision Making: When you have to make a decision, think about what's best for the team, not just what's best for you. Write down the team benefits of any major decision you're considering.

3. Hiring and Promotions: When you're thinking of promoting someone, look for signs of humility in their behavior. Are they team players? Do they share credit? Keep a list of these observations to help make informed decisions.

4. Learn from Mistakes: When something goes wrong, openly say, "I made a mistake," and think of one action to prevent it from happening again. Write it down and share it with your team.

5. Ask for Help: If you're stuck, ask someone for a hand. This can be as simple as, "Hey, you're really good with organizing, could you give me some tips?"

6. Listen Carefully: When someone is talking to you, really listen. You can practice this by asking questions like, "Can you tell me more?" or "Did I understand that right?"

Remember, these aren't big, expensive changes. You're just adjusting how you think and act a little bit each day. If you're not sure where to start, pick the one area you think you need the most help with and focus on that first. Maybe you need to get better at asking for help or listening. Work on that for two weeks and then pick a new area to improve. It's about taking small steps toward becoming a better leader and teammate.

Quotes

"Talent is god-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful; conceit is self-given; be careful"

– Leila Hormozi

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"Power is dangerous unless you have humility"

– Leila Hormozi

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"Hire and promote for humility, fire for ego and pride"

– Leila Hormozi

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"When making a decision, be concerned with what is right, not who is right"

– Leila Hormozi

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"High performance does not equal a promotion"

– Leila Hormozi