The Value of Humility

I do love meeting high-energy, Type A people. I love how thoughts flow fast like an episode of Gilmore Girls. I love hearing about all the crazy cool things people have done with their lives and are doing. It inspires me and makes me want to aim higher.

But then there are those people you come across who are very accomplished and have fantastic achievements but also have but incredible, cannot-believe-it egos.

So I also see the chip on their shoulder, a certain nod of the head that is supposed to indicate they're listening when actually they are thinking of how smart they sound. And you know that feeling of people not making eye-contact when you're talking, peering over at the rest of the crowd to see which more interesting person they can find? Yep, we'll all been there :)

The particularly wondrous thing is that they probably don't realise how arrogant they are. I know you're cool, buddy, but so are many other cool people in this world. So, unless you're Elon Musk, spare a thought to being more humble.

I wonder whether it's possible to teach humility and how one can do that. I'm not sure - I think it comes with experience and having encountered the lows as well as the highs.

And also recognising that all our lives involve a certain amount of luck. So, rather suddenly, the same person that considers themselves a gift to humanity might find themselves in a completely different environment and set of circumstances in the turn of a moment. We're a tiny speck in this universe, which itself is one universe of many. And that calls for some humility.

The thing that keeps me grounded (I think) is the knowledge that there is so much for me to learn from others. I learn from children, from the way team members manage programmes, from the way they manage people, and from the mistakes and leadership challenges that I see in others.

So while we reach for the stars and aim high and surpass our goals for ourselves, let's also remember to stay kind and humble.