The power of humble leadership

My first blog post was a celebration of co-intelligence—the powerful partnership between human intuition and artificial assistance that helped me find my voice despite the challenges of English as a Second Language. What made that collaboration so successful was simple: a mutual respect for expertise and a complete absence of ego.

That realization sparked a question for me: If I can find profound empowerment and success by being humble enough to let an AI partner refine my writing, how much more powerful can I be when I bring that same humility to leading my human teams?

In today's complex world, the traditional, top-down leader is an outdated model. The most effective leadership style isn't about being the smartest person in the room; it’s about being the most committed to ensuring everyone else can be. It’s about humble leadership.

The Core Principle: Understanding Humble Leadership

Humble leadership isn't about false modesty or weakness; it is a powerful approach that recognizes and prioritizes the collective strength of a team.

A truly humble leader:

• Prioritizes the needs of the team above their own personal glory.

• Listens actively to feedback from all levels.

• Fosters a collaborative atmosphere where every voice feels safe to contribute.

By cultivating a culture of respect and open communication, these leaders build teams that are not just cohesive, but genuinely innovative.

Ego: The Biggest Wall to Team Success

The greatest barrier to this kind of leadership is the same one that used to keep my own writing locked away: ego.

This concept was explored brilliantly in a recent conversation between Simon Sinek and retired Navy SEAL Jocko Willink on the A Bit of Optimism Podcast. Willink, whose team was one of the most decorated in the Iraq War, credits his success not to being an "Uber mench," but to a simple, ongoing humility.

He explains that ego is the biggest obstacle to building the core components of strong team relationships—trust, listen, respect, influence, and care [33:24]. When a leader's ego takes over, they are no longer listening, they are imposing.

This mindset shift is critical:
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The Humility Mindset: It is the deep, genuine knowledge that your subordinates will likely have better ideas than you [11:33]. When a leader walks into a room believing they are the smartest, their mind is closed. When they walk in knowing their team will offer a point of view they don't have, their mind is open, and their team thrives.
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As Sinek and Willink discuss, authoritarian, ego-driven leaders might seem great "in Garrison" (peace time), but they fall apart in chaos because they haven't earned the trust required for their team to truly commit, leading to disengagement, or even "quiet quitting" [15:57]. True performance is achieved when the team cares about each other and the mission [34:05]. (Video reference below).

My Own Zero-to-One Story

This philosophy of no ego, all team is the foundation of my most rewarding leadership experience: starting my team from scratch at Walmart Business.

When I embarked on the journey to build a team from zero to one, I didn’t just look for talent; I looked for trust. I purposefully sought out people from my past teams and designers I’d worked alongside for years. This wasn't just about hiring known quantities; it was about laying a foundation of deep, pre-existing camaraderie and respect.

The result? The team felt less like a typical manager/subordinate structure and more like a collaboration of friends and teammates. That environment, where there was no ego, no judgment, and where "We’re all the same" was our unspoken rule, is how we were able to move so quickly and effectively.

My title may be Manager, but the true source of my leadership power comes from the fact that I am trusted as a teammate first.

Implementing Humility: A Co-Leadership Practice

To adopt humble leadership is to embrace co-leadership—the active practice of building an environment where every individual is empowered to contribute their best.

Here are the strategies to integrate:

1. Active Listening: Building strong relationships is founded on genuinely seeking to understand a team member’s perspective and challenges. This shows that you value them as a whole person, not just a resource.

2. Encouraging Feedback: Actively soliciting feedback from team members—not just during formal reviews, but daily—signals that you value improvement and that the path forward is a collaboration.

3. Sharing Success: Acknowledging the contributions of team members and celebrating collective achievements reinforces unity and morale. The victory belongs to everyone, which only strengthens their desire to achieve the next one.

By adopting these practices, we transform fearful or reluctant environments into thriving spaces for innovation and teamwork. Humble leaders not only inspire growth but also enhance job satisfaction, ultimately leading to increased productivity.

The power of humble leadership cannot be overstated. Just as co-intelligence helped me find my voice by building a bridge over my language barriers, humility allows leaders to tear down the walls of ego and build a bridge to more effective, engaged, and resilient teams. What you have to say matters, and with a little help—and a lot of humility—your team’s collective voice can resonate far and wide.