Humility 75
lines with his ‘‘mighty men,’’ it was definitely a humble side of our
leader that we had not seen before.
For true humility and lack of ego, though, few moderns can match
the disciples of Jesus. They believed in their message so deeply that
advancing themselves became a nonissue. These men could have used
their status as part of the ‘‘inner circle’’ to advance their own reputa-
tions. Instead, they subordinated their egos in the service of the word
of the man whom they considered to be their lord and savior. John the
Baptist was probably the most eloquent in his subordination of ego:
‘‘I am the bridegroom’s friend and am filled with joy at his success.’’
( John, referring to Jesus, John 3:30)
‘‘After me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I
am not fit to carry.’’ (Luke 3:15)
‘‘I am not the Christ or Elijah, but am sent ahead of him... He
must become greater; I must become less.’’ ( John 3:28)Of course, what inspired such humility in the disciples was the ex-
traordinary humility of the ‘‘CEO’’—Jesus himself. He was a master at
humbling himself and giving credit to his ‘‘team.’’ When they tried to
wash his feet, he also insisted on washing theirs. There are a number
of modern leaders who also realize that without their followers, their
achievements would have been very humble indeed.
HUMILITY ANDTEAMWORK
The business leaders of another era (the Rockefellers and the Goulds)
were not known for their spirit of humility and teamwork. But more
recent leaders have begun to realize that no one person—no matter
how innovative, knowledgeable, or wealthy—can be totally responsible
for the success of an entire company. Humility is making some headway
in executive row.
For instance, Bill Flanagan, vice president of operations for Amdahl