Don’t overlook virtue of humility

Humility gets a very bad rap, one that’s 100 percent undeserved. It’s actually one of our greatest virtues. It’s a value I seek to model for my law students and pass on to them. Its use and possession in the workplace is indispensable. So, here then is the case for humility.

No. 1: The enemy gets a vote

In his remarkable book Inner Excellence: Achieve Extraordinary Business Success Through Mental Toughness, Olympic trainer Jim Murphy writes about the humblest people he can imagine. His vote? The U.S. Navy SEALs.

The SEALs? The rock ’em, sock ’em SEALs who protect our country from its enemies? Yes, the very same. Why? Because, writes Murphy, they understand the enemy gets a vote in the matter.

In deciding how to attack a house, the SEALs ask themselves: Do we burst through the front door? Do we crawl through the back window? Do we rappel down the side walls? Or, know what, do we not attack at all?

Training and experience tell the SEALs the enemy gets a vote in how the matters will turn out. Their mindset shows humbleness in the face of adversity and demonstrates strength, not weakness. Just ask a SEAL.

No. 2: ‘To whom do you owe your success?’

Not everyone is SEAL-trained. So, when you’re interviewing a job candidate, especially for a management position, how do you tell an authentically humble person from a faker?