Can an entrepreneur be humble? Well, not only can they be, they should be. This is the subject of an article by IESE Professor Argandoña, entitled “Humility in Management.” Humility doesn’t get a good rap in the business world; it seems that a simple manager must be timid, shy, somewhat cowardly, who shrinks from others, who doesn’t know how to make decisions… a bad leader, in short.

This virtue leads us to know ourselves as we are (“humility is walking in truth,” said Saint Teresa of Avila). It doesn’t allow us to deceive ourselves by highlighting our abilities and accomplishments or by emphasizing our shortcomings. It helps us value others for who they are without diminishing or exalting them. Likewise, it opens us up to the opinions of others, which helps us get to know ourselves better. It also strengthens relationships: we like our friends, partners, colleagues, and superiors to be humble.

Let’s think about the behavior of a humble manager in a work team: how they listen to others, how they weigh their opinions, how they encourage them to contribute, how they delegate, how they admit their mistakes and how they own up to their team’s mistakes, how they recognize their team’s merits when they achieve success. In turn, those who work with honest leaders are more satisfied with their jobs and are more productive, more creative, and also more modest themselves: humility breeds humility; it is contagious.

It is also a useful gift in intellectual and technological processes because it helps us recognize our limitations, receive advice and take into account the opinions of others, and seek the collaboration of those who think differently than we do. Diversity of viewpoints is not a limitation for a humble person, but a strength.

This integrity is sometimes confused with humiliation. Both words derive from the Latin humus, which means “earth” and relates to the act of prostrating oneself on it. However, while humbling oneself carries a negative connotation, that of “crawling on the ground” in an act of submission, humility means, on the other hand, having one’s feet firmly on the ground and being able to recognize with the utmost objectivity our capabilities and our vulnerabilities.

And above all, it is contrary to arrogance. Without this value, it is impossible to find the truth and there can be no obedience. As Cervantes said, humility is the foundation, the base, and the basis of all virtues.

This article was published in the Diario de Almería