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Transcript

Staying Open to Learning · The Strength Catalyst

• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the very first episode of Introspective Moments.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Colleen.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: If you've listened to the Strength Catalyst, you know that I spend my time talking with nonprofit leaders about the real challenges they face and how understanding their strengths helps them navigate those challenges with greater intention.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: In between these conversations, I'd like to invite you to join me for these introspective moments.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: Together, we'll explore one strength at a time so that we can better understand ourselves, use our strengths with greater intention, and notice how they shape our work, our relationships, and our everyday lives.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Let's begin with humility.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: People often think humility means being modest, staying in the background, maybe even thinking less of yourself.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: But I don't think that's what humility is at all.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: Here's something coaching has taught me.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Humility creates space.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_00: Space to learn, space to connect, space for others to grow.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Humility isn't thinking less of yourself, it's being secure enough in who you are that you don't have to make yourself the center of every success.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: One of the people I've gotten to know over the years is Laura, an accomplished attorney who spent her career with the Department of Justice.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: Early in her career, she was preparing for an important trial when a young attorney was assigned to work with her.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: As they reviewed one of the legal key filings together, that younger attorney noticed an important issue that Laura had missed.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: It would have been easy to quietly correct the document and move on for Laura.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: Many of us have been in situations where someone less experienced notices something we've overlooked.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: Those moments can make us feel a little protective of our expertise or maybe even a little reluctant to give someone else too much credit.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: But Laura responded differently.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_00: She welcomed the insight.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: She recognized what her younger colleague brought to the team.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: And instead of seeing that contribution as a threat to her own credibility, Laura saw it as something that made her collaboration with her colleague even stronger.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: When the case went to trial, Laura intentionally gave that younger attorney meaningful opportunities in the courtroom, opportunities to build confidence and develop her skills as a trial lawyer.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: And years later, at Laura's retirement celebration, that attorney spoke about those moments.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: She said Laura's willingness to share those opportunities had changed the course of her career.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: Laura created space for someone else to discover what she was capable of.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: And that's what humility does.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: Humility creates space.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: It creates space to keep learning instead of needing to be right.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: It creates space for the other people to contribute instead of needing all the credit.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes, as it did for Laura, it creates space for someone else to discover what they're capable of.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: Humility isn't just inspiring, it's also been studied.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Leadership researcher Dr.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: Bradley Owens has spent years studying humble leadership.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: His research, along with a review published in the Journal of Management, found that humble leaders are more likely to seek feedback, encourage learning, recognize other people's contributions, and build a stronger, more collaborative team.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: But research only tells us part of the story.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Like every strength, humility can be both underplayed and overplayed.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: If you rarely acknowledge your own accomplishments, even when it's appropriate, you may be making yourself smaller than the situation calls for.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: But humility can also be overplayed.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: When someone else offers an idea that's better than yours, can you genuinely celebrate it?
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Or do you find yourself wanting people to notice that you had a good idea too?
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: You know, the goal isn't simply to be more humble, it's to use humility with intention.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: So here is something I'd invite you to notice this week.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: Look for one opportunity to create space for someone else.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's recognizing someone's contribution, maybe it's asking another person's opinion before offering your own opinion.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's stepping back so someone else can step forward.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, if you have a deck of the introspective cards, I'd invite you to pull out the humility card this week and keep it somewhere you'll see it regularly.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_00: One side of the humility card includes one of my favorite quotes from C.S.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Lewis.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: To me, that's a beautiful reminder that humility isn't about shrinking ourselves, it's about creating space for others.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for spending these few minutes with me.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: And until next time, take a few moments to be introspective.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Notice what changes.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is the first of many introspective moments we'll share together, each exploring a different strength and the difference it can make when you use it with intention.