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The Courage to be Humble

January 23, 2008

 "The courage to be human is the courage to be humble.  It takes a lot of courage to admit that you aren't always right, that you can't always anticipate every possibility, that you can't envision every future, that you can't solve every problem, that you can't control every variable, that you aren't always congenial, that you make mistakes, and that you are, well, human.  It takes courage to admit all these things to others, but it may take even more courage to admit them to yourself.  If you can find humility to do that, however, you invite others into a courageous conversation.  When you let down your guard and open yourself to others, you invite them to join you in the creation of something that you alone could not create.  When you become more modest, and unpretentious, others have the chance themselves to become visible and noticed."  (Kouzes & Posner, 2006, p. 156-157)

Reference:  Kouzes, J.M., & Posner, B.Z., (2006).  A leader's legacy.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

 A Leader's Legacy is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  To borrow this resource or any other resource, please go to the resource search page http://164.107.48.88/winnebago/index.asp?lib=???

Learn how the Ohio State University Leadership Center is strengthening tomorrow's leaders today at http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu

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Created: 2008-02-26, Updated: 2009-01-06