Chapter 10
Humility
H
umility is a tough one for providers. We are used to excelling in school and in life by all external standards. We have typically been the “smart kids”—the ones who did well on standardized tests, were asked to be in advanced placement classes, and now get to wear the shining white coats that shout “doctor in the house!” I once worked with a physician leader. He had many forward-thinking ideas and achieved success for the institution, but he did so without a bit of humility. He was often very condescending and engaged in profanity-laced reprimands. Those who worked for him were not enabled but controlled. Ultimately, many very capable and more personable leaders left the institution.. His lack of humility overshadowed the many positive accomplishments of the institution. In the universe of providers, he is unfortunately not alone. Many providers have excelled due to their strengths and intelligence but missed greater opportunities due to their lack of humility. Humility, however, does not mean downplaying our strengths but, rather, being honest about our abilities. I talked about LeBron James earlier. If he were to say, I’m not very good at basketball, we would immediately recognize that this is false humility. Similarly, if a surgeon is excellent at a particular procedure, it is OK for that skill to be recognized. What matters is how you handle that reality. In professional football, there is now a taunting penalty for those players 131
