So far, we have explored two key attributes of Contributorship: Emotional Efficacy and Communication/Accountability. Now, let’s delve into the third attribute, confident humility.
To understand this attribute fully, we need to break it down into its two essential components:
Confidence
Think about the confident individuals you know. How do they behave? A confident person is assured in their abilities and skills, allowing them to face challenges and pursue goals without undue fear of failure. Confidence is built on five core aspects:
- Self-assurance: This is a solid belief in one’s capabilities and decisions, enabling individuals to tackle tasks and challenges without hesitation or doubt.
- Positive Self-perception: Confident people have a positive view of themselves, recognizing their strengths and acknowledging their weaknesses without letting them hinder their progress.
- Resilience: The ability to bounce back from setbacks is crucial. Confident individuals see failures as learning opportunities rather than insurmountable obstacles.
- Risk-taking: Confident individuals are more willing to take calculated risks, trusting in their ability to navigate uncertainties and make informed decisions, which fosters personal and professional growth.
- Interpersonal Interactions: Confidence influences how people interact with others, helping them express ideas clearly, establish needs and boundaries, and build strong relationships based on mutual respect.
However, it’s important to be wary of overconfidence. Overconfidence is an excessive belief in one’s abilities, leading to unwarranted risks and neglect of important details. Balancing confidence with humility and a realistic assessment of one’s capabilities is crucial.
Humility
Humility is the quality of having a modest view of one’s own importance. It involves recognizing and accepting one’s limitations and imperfections, and being open to learning from others. Humility is often misunderstood as low self-esteem or a lack of confidence, but true humility is compatible with strong self-assurance. It allows individuals to see themselves honestly, appreciate their own worth, and recognize the value in others, fostering an environment of mutual respect and collaboration. The fundamental aspects of humility include:
- Self-awareness: Humble individuals have an accurate understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, neither overestimating their abilities nor underestimating their contributions.
- Modesty: Humility involves a lack of arrogance. Humble people do not boast about their achievements or seek undue attention.
- Respect for Others: Humility includes valuing others’ contributions and perspectives, appreciating and acknowledging the skills and achievements of those around them.
- Openness to Learning: Humble people recognize that there is always more to learn and are open to new information and willing to change their opinions or behaviors based on new evidence or better arguments.
- Gratitude: Humility often includes a sense of gratitude for what one has and for the help and support received from others.
- Service Orientation: Humble individuals often have a desire to help others and contribute to the greater good.
Putting it All Together
What does practicing confident humility look like? It is demonstrated when you are secure in your ability to perform your work effectively, yet you know when to seek help and learn from others. You value the contributions of your coworkers, recognizing that success is a team effort. You do this for the benefit of yourself, your organization, and its stakeholders without the need to show off or brag.
Practicing confident humility isn’t always easy. Some people never fully understand it. However, adopting this attribute can lead you on a calmer and more fulfilling career path.
I encourage you to integrate confident humility into your life. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn if you want to discuss Contributorship further. And please consider joining The Steele Method LinkedIn page.
I will be offering Contributorship open enrollment classes starting in October 2024. Let me know if you are interested.