Being Humble

By Chuck Violand

February 03, 2012

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This article was inspired by two events: A recent visit to the office of a client and the Pro Football Hall of Fame festival held each summer in Canton, OH.

While visiting our client, we were told of a discussion regarding hiring that took place between the company''s sales manager and operations manager.

The sales manager was in the process of filling several open positions and, although making progress, was having some trouble. On the other hand, the operations manager always seemed to be successful with attracting and keeping hard-working, dedicated technicians.

When asked about his secret to finding suitable workers, the operations manager revealed that he looked for people who were humble. In his experience, people who were humble were willing to listen and to learn new things. They didn''t act like they already knew everything there was to know.

His comment hit me like a load of bricks. Isn''t it funny how obvious answers always seem to hide in plain sight?

Naturally, the candidates being considered had to meet the physical, mental and legal requirements of the job. But the operations manager knew that even if they met all the other requirements, chances were pretty good they wouldn''t work out for long if they weren''t humble.

He was looking for long term, team players. No arrogance. No swagger. No dancing in the end zone. Just solid performance day in and day out.

The key to better performance

As I thought about this revelation, I realized that humbleness is a characteristic we should look for in any position in our companies, whether hiring technicians, sales people, office people, project managers or senior managers.

Although it''s a given that the top candidates will have the required skills, along with demonstrated records of success in their specific areas of expertise, there''s no assurance that they won''t also come with an arrogant attitude about it, or with feeling that they have nothing new to learn.

We often confuse being humble with being weak or soft. Perhaps part of the reason has to do with the definition of the word itself. Webster''s New World Dictionary defines humble in two primary ways. In an unfavorable light the definition is "low in condition, rank, or position." In a favorable sense humble is defined as "modest, not proud, having a consciousness of one''s shortcomings."

In order to view humbleness in a flattering light, all you have to do is think of guys like Joe Torre, Mike Krzyzewski, Warren Buffet or the late Sam Walton.

These guys are testaments to the fact that being humble has nothing to do with being weak. It has to do with being honest with ourselves about who we are. It''s also about asking ourselves "What can I contribute?" and "What can I learn?" It takes humility to ask the second question.

Those who have been blessed with significant talents and know that in spite of their gifts there is still more to be learned from other people and new experiences are the ones who define "humbleness."

Team players

Regarding the second event that inspired this article, many of you know I reside in Canton, OH, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Each year, we have a festival that celebrates the latest round of inductees into the Hall. If you''re someone who follows football, you probably know that one of the 2010 inductees was the great running back Emmitt Smith.

One of the most amazing things about Emmitt is his humility. Normally someone who is the NFL''s all-time rushing leader, a Super Bowl MVP, an NFL MVP and someone who went on to win the Dancing With The Stars competition on TV isn''t a person you''d associate with being humble.

This is exactly my point.

Emmitt''s high school football coach, Dwight Thomas, says there was "no better team player than Emmitt. If ever there''s been a role model, it''s him, even after all these years, with all his fortune and fame." In a recent interview, Emmitt explained the root of this attribute when he stated "My father and mom did a great job reinforcing values, staying humble."

Jim Collins, an authority on business success, addresses the impact being humble and inquisitive can have on a business in his book How the Mighty Fall. Collins tells a story about a group of investors from Brazil who flew to Bentonville, AR, to seek advice on retailing from Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart.

"Over the next few days, Walton barraged the Brazilians with question after question about their country, retailing in Latin America, and so on, often while standing at the kitchen sink washing and drying dishes after dinner. Finally the Brazilians realized Walton sought first and foremost to learn from them, not the other way around." That''s what''s so powerful about being humble; you frequently feel you have more to learn than you have to teach.

As my two sons were growing up I had the privilege of coaching their little league baseball teams. One of the responsibilities of the position was getting together with the other team''s coaches to select players from the kids who had signed up to play.

In addition to the obvious skills of hitting, fielding, pitching and running, we looked for kids who were coachable. We knew that in spite of their core skill set, if they weren''t coachable, they were never going to learn anything new and they weren''t going to be part of the team. In essence, we looked for kids who displayed humbleness.

Being humble enables you to not take yourself too seriously. It paves the way for you to ask questions about things you''re unsure of, and it allows you to be wrong about things without feeling foolish.

Perhaps most importantly, being humble allows those around you to be humble as well. This is particularly important when you''re the owner of the business and you''re looking for people who share that same quality.

Apparently it doesn''t matter whether you''re an NFL MVP, a little league baseball player, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the largest retailing operation in history, or a first string cleaning technician.

Being humble is one personal value that''s going to give you a huge advantage in your chosen profession.

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Chuck Violand understands the unique challenges of small businesses, having owned a commercial cleaning and water damage mitigation company for 26 years. He founded Violand Management Associates (VMA) in 1988 as a consulting, teaching and training resource for owners of small businesses. To learn more about VMA''s services and programs, visit www.Violand.com or call (330)966-0700.