Humility and 2 Rules to Live By
Business leaders often treat humility as a weakness. But it’s quite the opposite.
Real humility requires tremendous fortitude and strength to remain positive, to keep pushing forward, while acknowledging you don’t have all the answers. It is through such humility that strong brands are built.
Here’s how two Fortune 500 companies define humility as one of their core values.
- Avon Products: Humility simply means we’re not always right — we don’t have all the answers — and we know it. We’re no less human than the people who work for us, and we’re not afraid to ask for help.
- Kellogg’s: We have the humility and hunger to learn
– Value openness and curiosity to learn from anyone, anywhere
– Seek and provide honest feedback
– Be open to personal change and continuous improvement
– Learn from mistakes and successes in equal measure
– Never underestimate our competition
Then there is Japanese-based Panasonic. In defining their business philosophy, they outline seven principles, one of which speaks to humility.
Courtesy and Humility: We will always be cordial and modest, respecting the rights and needs of others in order to strengthen healthy social relationships and improve the quality of life in our communities.
What the value of humility does is give permission to each employee to acknowledge their mistakes and highlight what they’re doing to learn and grow that will ultimately enhance the competitive positioning of the company.
Of course, when difficult situations arise it’s nice to have a few guidelines.
2 Rules to Live By
When preparing for difficult interviews with media, here are two rules that effective leaders live by:
- Always state what is true.
- Focus on the positive.
If an allegation is made about your company that you know to be true, it’s better to acknowledge it than try and cover it up. Then state what’s being done – or the plan – to address the issue. No matter how bad a situation might appear to be, it only gets worse if there’s a perceived a cover up, or that someone is lying, or worse it’s being completely ignored.
When we mess up, it’s always better to admit it, apologize, and explain what’s being done to fix it.
Example: Product Quality Crisis
A number of years ago I interviewed a seasoned PR professional. He told me about a major crisis that occurred at a Fortune 500 company where he worked. The crisis revolved around a product quality issue that potentially had far-reaching negative effects for many customers.
As he prepared the CEO for a press conference, he explained the two rules above. He stated:
“You will be pressured to make a response on what happened and why. But you don’t have all the answers yet. Say so.
You will feel compelled to give them a statement that will make them happy. But nothing you say will make them stop asking questions. So just state what you know to be true. If you don’t know, say so.
And remain focused on the positive. Whatever questions they ask, keep bringing your answers back to the positive things going on to find a solution.”
This was great advice for the CEO, and helped the company prevent a bad situation from getting worse. In fact, once they identified a solution, the whole crisis passed as simply a small blip in their corporate history.
“Great leaders don’t need to act tough. Their confidence and humility serve to underscore their toughness.” — Simon Sinek
What other companies have demonstrated the power of humility?
