We foster a work culture where most people view humility as being weak and unsure of what we are talking about. It encourages narcissism where a boss must always be right and loves the sound of his own voice. But that is far from what organization humility really is. Organizational humility fosters a work culture where leaders convey confidence and enable innovation by seeking other’s input by asking, listening and learning from personal mistakes as well. And as Management expert Peter Drucker is credited with saying that in business, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” what does your current humility culture say about you?
To help further illustrate my point, I was joined by Santina Benson on an episode of my podcast (episode title: Navigating the Ego Jungle with Humility”) who shared her leadership journey as well as:
- The importance of humility
- Leadership challenges for both men and women
- The power of one-on-one
- Why, sometimes, you just have to put in the work
- Women in leadership positions
- The dialogue with Gen Z
- The holistic approach to leadership
She emphasizes the importance of humility and listening in leadership. She shares the lessons she has learned in her experiences and notes that there’s no cookie-cutter approach to leadership. She stresses the cruciality of mutual respect and talks about her experience as a female leader. She touches on the dialogue with Gen Z and defines a holistic approach to leadership.
“Of course, we all have something to say–you may consider yourself an expert in any given subject matter–but unless you really take the time to be quiet in the moment and really listen to what are the concerns, asks, and requests from your stakeholders, you won’t really make significant inroads.”
Santina is more than qualified to speak on this topic as the Executive Director of the CEO Roundtable of Tanzania (CEOrt), which brings together 150 CEOs of leading companies in Tanzania and provides a platform for regular engagement with government and key stakeholders for the country’s sustainable economic development. Prior to her role with CEOrt, she held senior positions at various multi-national corporations within the Telecoms, ICT, and Financial sectors. In addition to her role at the CEOrt, Ms. Benson serves as a Non-Executive Director of KCB Bank Tanzania Limited and sits on the Advisory Board of Strathmore Business School Tanzania Leadership Academy, providing strategic guidance on the transformation of leaders within the region. Ms. Benson currently serves as an Advisory Board Member for One Acre Fund Tanzania and previously served as a Steering Committee member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Tanzania Chapter. She holds a Master’s Degree in Management from Caldwell University, New Jersey.
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