Humility

Here's some more from Catalyst. It was great to hear from Malcolm Gladwell, the author of The Tipping Point and Outliers. I enjoyed listening to him for the first time. But for some reason I kept thinking "More cowbell."

What does the financial crisis tell us about leadership?
Miscalibration - thinking you know more than you actually know. Overconfidence.
In times of crisis we think we need daring and bold decision making, but we don’t. What we need is humility.

Andy Stanley's questions:
What are the warning signs of an overconfident leader?
- The potential for it is in all of us. All of us start to think we are better than we are.
- We should be looking for it in everyone who is in authority.
- When they stop listening to the people around them, watch out.
Humility = the ability to listen to others.
Can a leader see this in the mirror?
- In the Iraq war, we went in terribly overconfident. There was a point where we realized we were wrong, and had to start over.
What do you say to the leader who has resisted accountability?
- In business there’s a moment where the entrepreneur can no longer do it on their own.
- Growth requires a change in leadership - it can’t all go through one person anymore.

Posted in: Andy Stanley,Catalyst09,Cowbell,Humility,Leadership,Malcolm Gladwell