My dad used to say, “It’s hard to be humbled.” He was the master of quick witted, humorous phrases. From what I’ve experienced, people who lack humility are those who feel they already know everything. And when you know everything, you are no longer teachable, and if you are not teachable, you are dead in the water. It’s a career killer. I remember a friend of mine coming into my home office years ago and scanning the litany of books I had on self-discovery, self-help, philosophy, psychology, etc. He looked at me and said, “I read one of those and got what I needed.” I responded by saying, “Not me, I’m just scratching on the tip of the iceberg of knowledge and that every single person on this planet has something to teach me.” He is also the guy that goes from job to job saying, “They just don’t get it!” I hear that same phrase used when citing blame as to why a deal went south or why a client is dissatisfied.
 
At globalstar, we are consciously aware of the trappings that go along with arrogantly blaming others when there is plenty of accountability to go around. We make sure that before we administer any sort of blame outside of our team, that we ask the question, “How could we have done a better job in this situation? Where did we fall flat? What’s our capability?” A lot of people believe that if they expose their underbelly via humility that it’s a sign of weakness, but it’s not. Having humility isn’t denying your strengths, it’s being honest about the fact that we are all human and make mistakes from time to time. Actually, humility is the pathway toward having strength of character. When we are willing to admit we have made a mistake and to make amends it’s the highest form of not only self-respect, but respecting others.

It takes guts to humbly admit you were wrong. Unfortunately, humility is the exception, not the rule. That being the case, you can set yourself apart by following C.S. Lewis’s philosophy is related to humility, which is “Not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.” We have also been around those who feel the universe revolves around them and their drama. It’s like every conversation you have with someone who thinks this way begins and ends with how they internalize the minute aspects of the conversation that rub up against some sort of unresolved blind spot. These same people have chosen to reside in a spin-cycle of identifying with the limiting labels that they and others have placed on them. They are no longer teachable. I suppose my dad’s words of how hard it is to be humble were more than just a funny phrase. They were words of wisdom.