Humility 81
HUMILITY‘‘PAYS’’
Yet another ridiculous oxymoron? Ironically, from ancient times to
modern, humility has paid off in practical terms. It’s not an easy process
to trust, but it often works.
King Solomon was put to the ‘‘humility test’’ when God came to
him in a dream and said, ‘‘Ask for whatever you want me to give you.’’
Solomon could have been like King Midas and asked that all he touched
be turned to gold. But instead, he humbly asked for wisdom: ‘‘I am
only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. So give
your servant a discerning heart... For who is able to govern this great
people of yours?’’
God’s answer to this humble request was to grant Solomon every-
thing else he might have wished for: not just a wise and discerning
heart, but also riches, honor, and long life. (1 Kings 3:7–14)
Humility has paid off for modern leaders as well as biblical kings.
Robert Townsend, when he became CEO of Avis in the 1970s, turned
the corporate world on its head when he eliminated executive dining
rooms, parking spaces, and other emblems of corporate royalty. Taking
humility a step further, Townsend showed seemingly great vulnerability
when he admitted his mistakes far more forthrightly than was customary
for CEOs at the time.
‘‘Admit your mistakes openly, maybe even joyfully,’’ he wrote in the
aptly titledUp the Organization.‘‘Encourage your associates to do like-
wise by commiserating with them.’’ Townsend admitted that his ‘‘bat-
ting average’’ was probably no better than .333. ‘‘But my mistakes were
discussed openly and most of them corrected with a little help from my
friends.’’^16 He and King Solomon would have done well together in an
executive support group.
Another suitable addition to this ‘‘humility support group’’ would be
Steve Chaddick, SVP of systems and technology for Ciena Corpora-
tion. His company’s acquisition of Omnia Communications promised
to help it offer increased bandwidth to businesses and homes. It was a
bold move, but in the end, the architecture turned out to be flawed and
had to be shelved. The stock price dropped from $51 to $8 in a few