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Unpacking humility: Leader humility, leader personality, and why they matter

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  • Maldonado, Tiffany
  • Vera, Dusya
  • Spangler, William D.

Abstract

Humility has attracted increasing attention in discussions of leadership given the positive effects that humble leaders can have on team and firm performance. In spite of what we know about the favorable outcomes of leader humility, we do not know much about how personality influences humble behaviors. How is leader humility related to personality? How can leaders develop humility? In this article, we look at how the personality factors of Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Openness to Experience, and Extraversion lead to specific humble behaviors: self-awareness, appreciation of others, low self-focus, teachability, and self-transcendent pursuits. We find that the personality mix of Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience form a substantial base for developing leader humility. At the same time, a humble leader can be an introvert or an extrovert, and can demonstrate different degrees of emotional stability. We offer recommendations and a behavioral inventory of leader humility that can be used by leaders and by organizations to recruit for and promote humility, to engage in behavioral modeling and coaching, and to create interventions to develop leader humility.

Suggested Citation

  • Maldonado, Tiffany & Vera, Dusya & Spangler, William D., 2022. "Unpacking humility: Leader humility, leader personality, and why they matter," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 125-137.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bushor:v:65:y:2022:i:2:p:125-137
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bushor.2021.02.032
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bradley P. Owens & Michael D. Johnson & Terence R. Mitchell, 2013. "Expressed Humility in Organizations: Implications for Performance, Teams, and Leadership," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(5), pages 1517-1538, October.
    2. Francesco Capalbo & Alex Frino & Ming Ying Lim & Vito Mollica & Riccardo Palumbo, 2018. "The Impact of CEO Narcissism on Earnings Management," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 54(2), pages 210-226, June.
    3. Jianghua Mao & Chia‐Yen (Chad) Chiu & Bradley P. Owens & Jacob A. Brown & Jianqiao Liao, 2019. "Growing Followers: Exploring the Effects of Leader Humility on Follower Self‐Expansion, Self‐Efficacy, and Performance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(2), pages 343-371, March.
    4. Maldonado, Tiffany & Vera, Dusya & Ramos, Nichelle, 2018. "How humble is your company culture? And, why does it matter?," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 61(5), pages 745-753.
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