The Role of Humility in Leadership Everybody makes mistakes; today’s media-satur

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The Role of Humility in Leadership Everybody makes mistakes; today’s media-saturated culture makes everyone’s mistakes every else’s news. This is particularly true of leaders, who are less able (perhaps simply unable) to hide from the media microscope than in times past. We want our leaders to have an unshakable integrity, so when their mistakes turn into front-page news, it provides a unique look at the mettle of those who lead our governments, institutions, and businesses. One of the functions of leadership is to assume responsibility for company actions, even when those actions are dubious at best or down-right shameful at worst. But how can leaders – who are supposed to always take the high road – work through mistakes that they or their organizations have made? The answer is simple: a sincere apology. Okay, so the answer is not so simple. Everyone knows that apologizing is not so easy, as proved by the associated lump in the throat and the awful feeling that comes from knowing that something you did caused someone else pain, embarrassment, loss, or hardship. But as you read in the chapter, a critical element of what leaders do and how leaders succeed is consideration, which is akin to empathy, the engine of sincere apology. How do you apologize for mistakes? Do you use “sorry” so often that it is devoid of meaning? Or do you apologize profusely, which leads to the same effect? Do you wait until you have time to think things over, or do you apologize immediately, if briefly? The biggest mistake that leaders make when apologizing is passing the buck and using the word regret instead of apologize. Leaders take responsibility for actions and should assume blame even if it is not their own. Making an unqualified assumption of responsibility helps demonstrate that your apology is sincere, as does going beyond a basic “I’m sorry.” One of the marks of a true leader is not hubris, but humility. In other words, the best way to appear sincere is to be sincere. References Williams C. (2013). MANAGEMENT (7th Ed.), Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning.

Describe a time when something you did or said had a profoundly negative impact on a person, group, or situation.

Did you take responsibility for your actions, or did you try to blame circumstances or other people?

Did you apologize? How do you think the person who received the apology took it?

What was the most difficult thing about apologizing?

Think about some high-profile blunders in recent news stories, whether in the world of sports, business, or entertainment. How did you think the company or individual involved did at delivering a public apology? Explain why you thought it was - or was not - sincere.

Explanation / Answer

I was in grade 5 then. A very young student. My acquaintance sitting right next to me, Miss ABC, was an irritating soul. While I was a studious pupil in the class, she never bothered to concentrate much on academics. It was the time when our Unit test was approaching and I was serious about the preparations. For some reason, our class teacher was not present in the class, and as expected, there was a sort of commotion in the class due to the absence of active monitoring by any Teacher. While I was trying to study a chapter from the Text Book, Miss ABC constantly kept pestering me. Either stamping on my foot, or banging the bench with her hands, dropping my belongings on the floor, etc. I repeatedly pleaded her to stop troubling me but the more I did, the more she would carry on with her mischief. She believed, the time should have been utilized for fun and not for the academics. This frustrated me to the extent that I remarked something really hurting to her. I knew that Miss ABC recently loss her Grandma, to whom she was closely attached to. I remarked, “I am so fortunate to have two sets of grandparents: Paternal and Maternal while I feel so glad that you have just lost your paternal Grandma. Poor you! But good you did.”

This comment was extremely uncalled for and totally shattered her. Miss ABC was already recovering from the loss of her grandma. While her notoriety was on one side, somewhere deep in heart, she did miss her grandma a lot. Now, as a little student, I was unaware of her this phase of personality. I would rather be amused to know how could she behave like nothing has occurred when she has suffered from such a grave loss. Little did I know that it was the only way that she was trying hard to cheer herself up.

Miss ABC started crying inconsolably so much that it attracted the attention of the entire class. Upon knowing her part of the story (little was anybody bothered to listen to mine though), my fellow acquaintances criticized me for passing such a derogatory comment. They called some Proxy teacher from a nearby class since there was so one else present who could pacify Miss ABC. Upon knowing her case, the Teacher slammed me as well. I realized somewhere that probably it was my mistake. I took the matter unintentionally way too far.

I tried apologizing her. I apologized to my Teacher and other students for being the cause of all this inconvenience. While others still somehow carried on with their activities, Miss ABC just did not budge. She was now calm and composed but refused to sit next to me or have any conversation with me whatsoever. Our Teacher changed our seats. The most difficult thing about apologizing was that I did not only have to apologize her but to all my classmates and Teacher as well, who probably did not even try to gauge as to what made me instigate to remark that comment.

Yes, somewhere I do blame the circumstances for it but I think I should have still exercised some control over my language and temper. That was perhaps a lesson learnt hard way out because I was then prone to embarrassment and gossip in the class.

(Answeritng the first four question as per Chegg policy due to multiple questions posted together)

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