The book selected for the analysis is titled “More Human than Otherwise: Living & Leading with Humility” written by David Berry who is an educator and a leadership consultant with over 30 years of experience in the field of business studies. The book is an ingenious description of how an individual can become an effective leader that others would willingly follow. According to the description of the book, the guide emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, humility, competence, and continuous learning in leadership. The knowledge that the book provides helps readers understand more about themselves and their abilities to lead a group of people while influencing their social backgrounds and social environment on page 7 of part 1 titled “The Language of Human-Centered Leadership” Berry quotes that the “achievement of competence” in leadership “is the key to earning the right to lead”.
Key Insights: Three Important Ideas Learned from MHTO
The book provides a deep insight into how the “responsibilities of modern leadership” can be shifted from “competence” to “connection” in order to become a “more human” leader. It emphasizes this shift to acknowledge that a leader must be a work in progress in all respective arenas of life so that they can become what others will willingly follow from their approach to leading to their perspective to living.
Firstly, the book draws on the importance of humility and authenticity in leadership as it is an essential trait for leaders to possess. Berry in the book discusses humility that it is like a “seedbed from which meaningful and result-oriented leader-follower relationships grow” which means that humility acts as a ground to be selfless on the part of the leaders themselves and prioritize the well-being of their team members over personal titles (Berry, 2021). The author further goes on that whether it is a terrifying word for human beings because humility cannot be learned and achieved without humiliation, it is an “unavoidable component” of life. Humility, therefore, is a crucial trait in leadership that leads to better results across the board “if you embrace humility as the centerpiece of your leadership” to build stronger relationships, be open to criticism or feedback, and become more approachable (Berry, 2021).
Secondly, the idea from the book with a profound impact is a shift from “me” to “us” for a human-centered leader which helps them to step outside of themselves to understand and reflect upon the benefits of their teams. Finding common ground for building an effective team through “personal awareness and humility” leads to increased productivity and collaboration among the team “by the change” that a leader makes within themselves as the decision to start a change within is “a decision to suffer the beautiful humiliation of deep self-awareness” (Berry, 2021).
Lastly, the idea of competence elaborated along with humiliation in “More Human than Otherwise” invites leaders to reset their roles and responsibilities of modern leadership based on humility as being closely tied to the roots or grounds of human life. Humility as defined in the MHTO by Berry is an idea that is loaded with “shame, disgust, disappointment, failure, and loss” that human beings avoid in every circumstance (Berry, 2021). However, the link between “self-awareness and humility” for achieving effective leadership is inescapable which enhances the ability to “follow leadership path with greater clarity, a stronger sense of purpose, and the conviction” derived from personal resources to explore unpredictable leadership paths leading an individual (Berry, 2021).
Application of the Ideas
The idea of shifting from the “hubris of me” to the “humility of us” is an important aspect that I like most about leaders as leaders with the ability of self-actualization and humility can help other teammates to be the best they can be at their jobs. This shift is critical to developing a completely new era in an organization as I as a leader will have to shift through my team to identify who has the best potential to lead the team forward. Furthermore, humility helps the leaders to be accountable along with the team in case, things do not go well which means that the team alone would not be responsible for the mess but the leader too which would help me lead with authenticity and empathy in my professional space. Moreover, the commitment to the “continuous learning” approach discussed in MHTO fosters a culture of responsibility and impeccable agreements among team members which as a leader would help me watch my own mindset shift and that of others when “we” operate from an “us” perspective.
Suggestions
Two impactful recommendations for a future edition of “More Human than Otherwise” that could make it more useful from an editor’s point of view include incorporating tips for attracting and retaining early career professionals as well as aspiring leaders and including case studies of prospective leaders. Aspiring leaders are enthusiastic about entering their new careers as they bring new ideas and perspectives into the workforce which fuel innovation that benefits their teams and organizations. Therefore, it would be beneficial to include tips for attaining and retaining aspiring professionals which highlight diversity and inclusion. Secondly, the book can be made more impactful by including case studies of successful and prospective leaders who have adopted the principles outlined by Berry in the book. This will help aspiring leaders and early career professionals to better understand how to apply principles adopted by professional leaders in real-world scenarios.
References
Berry, D. (2021). More Human than Otherwise: Living and Leading with Humility.
