9346$$$$FM

CHAPTER FOUR

Humility

It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one’s own

honor.

—P. 25:17

Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.

—P. 18:12

ickles and ice cream. Humility and leadership. Some things
don’t seem to fit together very well initially. I once heard an
experienced secretary in a large accounting firm comment
on a young accountant’s self-effacing personal style, at first
in an approving way because it made him so ‘‘easy to work with,’’ but
then adding in a whisper, ‘‘But he’ll never make partner unless he loses
some of that humility and puts on some arrogance.’’
The whole issue of ‘‘pride versus humility’’ is an ongoing paradox
for leaders in all types of organizations and at all levels. How do you get
to a position of leadership, especially in highly competitive organiza-
tions, if you don’t have some personal ambition? How can truly humble
persons advance to a position of influence and authority? And what will
happen when they get there? The meek may inherit the earth, but can
we be sure they will stay meek when they get it? Are leaders ‘‘just like

70