Staying Humble, Yet Also Ambitious

Today, I share part two of my Asking for a Friend interview with Amer Kaissi on the important intersection of humility and ambition.

I was particularly struck by Amer’s practical leadership humility technique of “reflection with purpose” (1:36).

1:35 Cultivate Leadership Humility Through Reflection with Purpose

After a major accomplishment and success, celebrate! But, don’t stop there. Take the time to practice some leadership humility and ask yourself what contributed to that success.

• Who mentored me?
• Who gave me a chance early on in my career?
• Are there people on my team working really hard to make me look good?
• What market conditions led to my success?
• Where did I get lucky?

It’s not about minimizing the success we’ve had,  but about staying grounded and humble.

2:36 Getting Better Feedback

Find your group of “loving critics” (2:59). The people who love us AND will not hesitate to give us candid, specific feedback. Get enough feedback to find the patterns.

6:56 The best way to process the feedback is to not overemphasize one comment here or one comment there, but just to look for themes.

I also appreciated Amer’s insights from page 97 of his book, Humbitious.

Some leaders assume that seeking feedback makes them look weak or needy, but nothing could be further from the truth. It actually takes a lot of courage and strength to ask for feedback. And once you get in the habit of asking, you will continue to receive feedback from others throughout your career becuase people will come to perceive you as open and willing to change.

Don’t miss part one of this Asking For a Friend Interview with Amer about leadership humility.

See also: Leadership Skills: 6 Leadership Competencies You Can’t Lead Without 

Managing Up with Grace: How Do I Give My Boss Better Feedback

And for more with Amer, checkout David’s interview on Leadership without Losing Your Soul podcast.