According to the Royal Spanish Academy, humility is the virtue of recognizing one’s own limitations and weaknesses and acting accordingly.  To be humble is to know ourselves well, just as we are. It’s that simple and that difficult. Saint Teresa of Ávila defined humility as walking in truth.

If we know ourselves, we can not only correct what we don’t see as appropriate, but, above all, enhance what we are good at, because we can only build on solid ground.

Each of our personalities is composed of the sum of temperament and character. Temperament is the genetic component we are born with. Some are more active, others calmer; some are structured, others a bit disorganized, and so on. Character is what we acquire, what we develop through our actions.  We need to understand our temperament to know how we can change our personality through character, through the acquisition of virtues. Someone who is very impulsive needs to learn to control themselves; someone who is very structured needs to learn to be more flexible…

Humility, therefore, is related to self-knowledge. Knowing oneself is a lifelong task, so we must continually deepen our self-understanding. The important thing is to lose the fear of self-discovery and dedicate time to it consciously and intentionally.

The starting point of humility is recognizing your personal worth, loving yourself as you are, with your strengths and weaknesses. Accepting your own imperfections is also a fundamental step toward humility. Conversely, the fear of acknowledging our flaws or feeling ashamed of ourselves is the main obstacle to personal growth.

If you know and accept yourself as you are, you will be a humble person and will be able to strive to improve. And humble people are very attractive to others.

And… why is humility important in our professional work?

To improve as professionals and to manage ourselves effectively, we need to know ourselves. We need to understand our professional strengths and weaknesses. If we don’t know ourselves, we can’t build anything. Professional development must be built on humility.

Peter Drucker, considered by many to be the father of management, insisted on the importance of discovering what virtues each person has, because it is the most important thing an individual can know about themselves.

Humility is an open attitude, based on self-discipline, and not egocentric. It allows you to accept the world as it is in pursuit of professional and personal excellence. To accept that we can improve, we need to be humble. The arrogant person already believes themselves to be perfect, and therefore cannot improve.

It is also very important to get to know others. Humble people have a special ability to understand others, and this is fundamental in a society where teamwork is almost always the norm. A humble person is grateful and generous, recognizing the contributions of others to their achievements, knowing how to forgive mistakes, and helping their colleagues improve.

Humility and leadership

Humility fosters the confidence needed to be a leader and to build strong teams. Far from being a sign of weakness, humility is a strength that facilitates personal growth and improves relationships with others. It allows us to overcome our own ego and open ourselves to others, recognizing the need for external support, whether at work, with family, friends, or elsewhere.

The relationship between humility and leadership is something that many authors have already discussed:

“One of the most important qualities of an effective leader is humility: the ability to admit mistakes and learn from others.”  —Marshall Goldsmith, executive coach and author of “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.”

“True leaders are those who recognize their limitations and are open to learning from others. Humility is essential for growth.” —  Warren Bennis, pioneer in leadership studies and author of “On Becoming a Leader.”

“Great leaders don’t need to act harshly. Their confidence and humility underline their strength.”  —Simon Sinek, author of “Start with Why.”

“The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; to be kind, but not weak; to be bold, but not intimidating; to be humble, but not timid.”  Jim Rohn, motivational speaker and author.

Some recommendations for being more humble

At the  Fundación Perspectivas del Trabajo, we like to be practical, so we propose some ideas that you can put into practice starting today and that will allow you to advance in acquiring the virtue of humility:

1. Explore to get to know yourself better. There are many ways to learn about yourself: ask yourself questions with interest and without fear of what you might find, ask people who know you, and take a personality test or analysis.
2. Admit when you’re wrong. Accept that you’re not always right. Apologizing helps us recognize our mistakes and shows our willingness to improve.
3. Think of everyone you work with as better than you at something, even if you don’t know what it is. This will help you appreciate them more.
4. Ask for help and advice when you need it. Don’t be afraid to ask.
5. Make an effort to listen to others.
6. Follow the example of simple people. Have confidence in others and try to be approachable to them.
7. Be grateful. Saying thank you helps us recognize that we depend on others.
8. Practice generosity. Being generous will help you open up more to others, understand them, and understand yourself.

Javier Ramos. Director of the Perspectives on Work Foundation