An MSP company relies on its leaders to realize its vision. Leaders set the tone for everyone else on the team. Their effectiveness depends on their ability to inspire change, earn the respect of employees, and get people to buy in into the goals of the company— this begins with humility.
Humility starts with a realistic assessment of one’s strengths and weaknesses; this gives leaders an understanding of their role in the bigger picture. Humble leaders acknowledge their strengths by finding areas they can contribute and positively recognize their flaws by continually looking for ways to grow.
In an MSP company, humble leaders will focus their energy on their strong points and empower others to help them in their weak points. They are secure in their role in the vision of the company, allowing them to work on building others up.
Humble leaders recognize that they do not know everything and are willing to change their minds if presented with evidence. Such individuals are an asset to your team; they are more likely to listen to the opinion of everyone and consider available evidence while making decisions. They understand and respect that the people they lead have more interactions with clients, suppliers and the products or services you offer and are likely to provide a point of view they cannot access. Humble leaders take more time to make decisions. They consult more and are willing to change their mind along the way, in the best interests of your company.
On the flip side, intellectual arrogance in your leadership team can lead to more mistakes. Such leaders believe they are always correct and will rarely change their mind, especially when presented with evidence from someone they consider their ‘intellectual junior’. This demoralizes your employees, and they stop sharing information with the leader, which affects the quality of decision making at the top.
Humility in leadership comes with an innate desire to grow and become better. Such leaders embrace ambiguity and the unknown. They take pleasure in acquiring new information and will continually look for new ways to grow intellectually. Their habits include asking questions, listening to opinions, reading books and magazines, attending conferences and looking for facts actively. Initially, they may seem weak; however, they will grow into their positions over time and become an asset to the company, sometimes even inspiring your employees to acquire the same hunger for knowledge.
Leaders low on humility tend to look at new information as a threat. They believe they have all the answers and will perceive facts as passive-aggressive statements trying to make them look ignorant. Often, if you prove them wrong, they become angry and start plotting their revenge, wasting company time and creating a hostile working environment. They also have a hard time taking responsibility and will blame others, often alluding that ‘those at fault’ are not smart enough to avoid making the mistake.
Humble leaders are an asset to your MSP company. They build quality relationships, treat people respectfully, embrace diversity and inspire their employees to do better. Humility in leadership creates a fair and generous working environment, where individuals can thrive and help you grow consistently. Encouraging and rewarding humility means you can create an honest working environment everybody will love.
