Practicing Humility Continually
When referring to his accomplishments in his autobiography, Sam Walton was worried that he would come across as being a braggart.
“It particularly bothers me because I learned a long time ago that exercising your ego in public is definitely not the way to build an effective organization.”
People are more respected when they have this mindset, and others do not feel belittled when conversing with them. There are a lot of talented people in this world that like to let people know how good they are at “X” skill, etc. When people know that they are talented and don’t flaunt it about, it should encourage others to act similarly.
Often times, especially in sports, I would tend to gloat about a certain accomplishment, and pretty soon, everyone would get tired of my comments. In any situation, if this happens, productivity goes way down. Say if a great soccer player kept hogging the ball, his teammates would not want to pass the ball to him when they got it, and then he wouldn’t want to pass the ball to them at all when he got it. They are no longer playing as a team, and effectively cripple themselves. Sam Walton recognized how important it was for his employees to pull together to succeed, saying, “One person seeking glory doesn’t accomplish much”
The Bottom Line: Arrogance will severely diminish productivity.
Currently reviewing: Sam Walton: Made In America
June 13th, 2008 at 2:18 am
Bragging is so…childish. People tend to brag to make themselves feel more valued than others, which is a shallow way to compare your worth with those around you. However, you should never compare yours and another person’s worth. It is OK for people to acknowledge they’re better at certain things like sports, art, etc, but these criteria shouldn’t be used to say that so-and-so is better than so-and-so, which leads to a breaking down of teamwork and camaraderie. On the other end of the stick, there is a thing I’ll call “righteous bragging”, where you are just so proud of your accomplishments that you have to tell someone like your friends or family. This type of bragging isn’t to say “Look at me, I’m better than you,” but more like “Hey, I did something awesome, and I want you to know!” This happens all the time between friends, (”Dude, I owned that math test”, “Nice! Me too!”) and can actually help build relationships by creating a sense of approval. This is actually pretty crucial because if your friends don’t appreciate you or acknowledge your feats of greatness, well…they just don’t seem like friends at all.
Michael’s last blog post..Did I mention I’m a pioneer?
June 13th, 2008 at 8:46 am
I recently finished reading Good to Great an analysis of what makes good companies turn in to great companies. The first thing the book mentions is humble, yet driven leaders. According to the author, Jim Collins, every single one of the good-to-great companies they studied was led by a person who was not wrapped up in their own achievements but rather gave credit for success to team members, good market conditions and luck. On the flipside they took responsibility for problems and mistakes.
Rabenstrange’s last blog post..firefox 3 release on tuesday
June 13th, 2008 at 1:26 pm
@Michael It is often hard to refrain from gloating about certain accomplishments, but it is a necessity to remember that such comments can belittle others, and the scope of our actions is often not realized. Especially when in new situations (new job, new school), where one off based comment can leave a lasting impression upon others.
@Rabenstrange I’m glad to hear good things about that book. It is currently on my “To Read” list, and am looking forward to it! Personally, it is comforting to know that the “good guys” are able to excel in the business world. Being able to admit mistakes, and refrain from gloating is a very powerful skill.
June 14th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Good read, like how you tied humility to productivity there. I can certainly relate to the sports example. I’ve seen (and been a a part of) a few teams who have avoided and shunned arrogant players. Humility will make you a better conversationalist too. People like to talk with people who seem interested by them. If you are arrogant, rather than asking the other person about themselves you’re too busy talking about yourself!
James’s last blog post..Organize IT Recap: Myths About Work, Albert Einsten
August 2nd, 2008 at 8:00 am
[...] This post was written for Organize IT by Tage Aaker. You can check out his blog, Glimmerick, where he writes about pertinent topics such as productivity, organization, finances and personal development. Check out top posts such as Ten Valuable Productivity Tips and Practicing Humility Continually. [...]
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Thanks for the informative post.. and thanks for adding our comment to the blog. I am subscribing to your feed so I don\’t miss the next post!