Hello everyone,
Thinking about humility and being humble are two very different things. With that said, I have a confession to make. This Virtue of the Week message was supposed to go out on Monday (11/10), but I missed the deadline. That’s on me—my mistake, and I apologize.
The scriptures have quite a bit to say about humility:
- Philippians 2:3–4 – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
- Proverbs 11:2 – When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.
Patrick Lencioni, a well-known author, offers an excellent framework for being “humble” in his book The Ideal Team Player. Here are some questions we can ask ourselves:
- Do I compliment or praise teammates without hesitation?
- Do I easily admit my mistakes?
- Am I willing to take on lower-level work for the good of the team?
- Do I gladly share credit for the accomplishments of the team?
- Do I offer and accept apologies graciously?
- Do I readily acknowledge my weaknesses?
Hopefully your answer to these questions is “yes.” If not, it’s not too late—we can all continue to learn and grow in humility. In my experience, opportunities to practice humility appear every week. Let’s be on the lookout for those moments in the weeks ahead.
