Humility Revisited
In times of uncertainty, humility is perhaps the most important attribute. It'll help you avoid the perils of two extreme responses to unprecedented situations: overconfidence and fear.
I struggled to decide what Zekret I could share with you this time around. We’re in the midst of such unprecedented circumstances that I find myself a bit unmoored. And thus less confident that I have anything useful to offer. But one persistent word has kept coming up: humility.
If you took my core MBA class, you’re probably thinking that I’ve run out of ideas and am just recycling old Zekrets. I believe there will be something new for you in this article, but if nothing else a reminder may be valuable. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, let me provide some context (this is where my former students can tune out for a bit).
I often share this video in my classes:
Besides surprising many adults with the fact that they don’t know how to tie their shoes correctly, I use the video as an analogy of a bigger point. If most of us can learn something new about a task as simple as tying our shoes, how much more do we still have to learn about the truly complex things we deal with as humans, managers, citizens, and more? And yet we have a tendency to think that we’ve mastered our tasks when in fact we haven’t -- just like a five year old who learns an easy but inferior knot to tie their shoes. The danger of this attitude is that it leads to stagnation and mediocrity.
But why do so many people and organizations stagnate and fail to achieve excellence?
After thinking of this issue for a long time, I’ve come to believe that it’s not a lack of capability.
It’s a lack of humility!
But why is this humble little attribute (I couldn’t help myself…) be the antidote to stagnation and mediocrity? I’ve only recently felt like I can articulate it.
(This is where my former students can tune back in.)
I believe the answer goes something like this. Stagnation happens when we adopt one of two extreme mentalities. On one extreme is overconfidence, which arises from underestimating the complexity of the situation and overestimating our own ability. On the other extreme is fear, which arises from overestimating the complexity of the situation and underestimating our own ability. Overconfidence leads us to type 1 errors: we think we already know the answer when we actually don’t. Fear leads to type 2 errors: we think we can’t figure out the answer when we actually can. Either way, we end up stagnating for lack of trying. Ironically, both mentalities have a common source: pride. Specifically, being too proud to admit that we should learn something new.
In between the two extremes is humility, an attribute frequently mistaken for low self-esteem or lack of confidence. But this is wrong! I like Merriam-Webster’s definition of humility: “freedom from pride or arrogance.” Humble people aren’t full of themselves. They’re aware of their limitations. But neither do they shrink in the face of a difficult situation. Humble people appreciate the complexity of any domain of expertise, but they also draw strength from the realization that they can learn and adapt to new situations. They avoid the pride of overconfidence by realizing that they can always learn something new. And they avoid the pride of fear by realizing that such learning often requires relying on others who know more.
The reason I feel so compelled to emphasize humility during these times is because I see so much of the two extreme mentalities as we collectively face the challenges of 2020. The spectacular failures of leadership we’ve experienced this year come from people who have acted out of a cavalier sense of knowing it all or who have failed to act out of sheer capitulation to historically difficult circumstances. I’ve also admired the humble leadership of others who steadily chip away at the issues, providing firm guidance about what they know but being honest about what they don’t know.
Dr. Anthony Fauci has, in my opinion, displayed the kind of humility that I’m talking about. His credentials and track record are unimpeachable, which could easily have led him to make bold predictions about the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. Numerous news reports suggest that his caution was overruled by a White House team that relied too much on a single statistical model without comparing that model to the situation on the ground. I emphasize that there were (and are) reasonable disagreements among scientists about the nuances of different epidemiological models. But the main difference between Dr. Fauci and others was the extent of overreliance on just the model projections. In his own words, “you don’t make the timeline, the virus makes the timeline.” Dr. Fauci has long displayed that sense of respect for the realities of a disease. During the 2015 ebola epidemic, he famously spent 2 hours a day directly treating patients: "I do believe that one gets unique insights into disease when you actually physically interact with patients,” he said back then. Notice that he could’ve asked a subordinate to do the dirty work, but his respect for the complexity of the situation led him to accept that there was much he still didn’t know. And by then he was already a widely-recognized authority on infectious disease! But that’s only half the story. When you listen to Dr. Fauci, you don’t get the sense that he’s a weakling who walks around defeated by the situation. In addition to having a healthy respect for what he doesn’t know, he’s firm and steadfast in advocating for what he does know. And thus he has provided consistent and unapologetic guidance on the measures we must take to manage the pandemic: wearing masks, social distancing, and other proven measures.
In one way or another, all of us face daunting challenges during these times. Most of those are deeply personal and won’t put us in the same spotlight as Dr. Fauci. But I believe we can learn something from the humility he displays in how we manage our own challenges and opportunities: by having respect for what we don’t know coupled with a healthy confidence that we can figure it out.
If you found this post valuable, you may also enjoy the following:
Is Social Media Killing Intellectual Humility? (Nicole Yeatman)
The Best Bosses are Humble Bosses (Sue Schellenbarger)
A Plea for Humility from America’s First Superstar (Jeff Jacoby)