Humility
T HE
T R AIT S
AT
A
G LANC E
01
Accurate
self
-
assessment
02
Recognition
of
limits
03
Non
-
defensiveness
04
Ownership
of
mistakes
05
Teachability
06
Intellectual
openness
07
Comfort
with
being
wrong
08
Curiosity
about
others
09
Deference
to
expertise
10
Appreciation
of
others
11
Sharing
credit
12
Egalitarian
orientation
13
Empathy
and
perspective
-
taking
14
Low
self
-
focus
15
Unpretentiousness
16
Quiet
confidence
17
Lack
of
entitlement
18
Patience
with
others
’
faults
19
Gratitude
20
Service
orientation
1 / 5
A
Self
-
awareness
and
an
accurate
self
-
view
01–04
01
Accurate
self
-
assessment
Describes
their
own
strengths
and
weaknesses
roughly
the
way
objective
observers
would
.
Neither
inflates
achievements
nor
performs
modesty
about
them
.
IN
PRACT ICE
When
asked
how
a
project
went
,
they
name
one
thing
that
worked
and
one
thing
that
didn
’
t
—
accurately
,
without
hedging
or
preamble
.
02
Recognition
of
limits
Knows
where
their
competence
ends
and
says
so
before
someone
else
has
to
discover
it
.
Treats
“
I
don
’
t
know
”
as
useful
information
rather
than
as
a
failure
.
IN
PRACT ICE
“
Past
this
point
I
’
d
be
guessing
—
Priya
has
worked
in
this
domain
for
six
years
;
I
’
d
go
with
her
read
.”
03
Non
-
defensiveness
Receives
criticism
as
data
about
the
work
rather
than
as
a
verdict
on
the
self
.
Listens
through
the
uncomfortable
part
instead
of
preparing
a
rebuttal
while
the
other
person
is
still
talking
.
IN
PRACT ICE
Asks
“
what
would
you
have
done
differently
?”
before
explaining
their
own
reasoning
.
04
Ownership
of
mistakes
Names
errors
quickly
,
specifically
,
and
without
a
preamble
that
quietly
shifts
responsibility
onto
circumstance
or
other
people
.
IN
PRACT ICE
The
message
reads
: “
I
missed
this
on
Tuesday
.
Here
’
s
the
fix
and
the
date
it
lands
.”
2 / 5
B
Openness
and
teachability
05–09
05
Teachability
Assumes
there
is
something
to
learn
in
every
room
,
including
from
people
with
less
experience
,
less
formal
standing
,
or
a
different
kind
of
expertise
.
IN
PRACT ICE
Takes
notes
when
a
junior
colleague
explains
a
tool
the
senior
person
doesn
’
t
use
.
06
Intellectual
openness
Holds
views
with
appropriate
tentativeness
and
can
state
,
in
advance
,
what
evidence
would
change
their
mind
.
IN
PRACT ICE
“
I
’
m
about
seventy
percent
on
this
.
What
would
move
me
is
retention
data
past
week
four
.”
07
Comfort
with
being
wrong
Changes
position
publicly
without
embarrassment
,
and
without
a
face
-
saving
prologue
that
quietly
rewrites
what
they
originally
said
.
IN
PRACT ICE
“
I
argued
for
the
other
approach
and
I
was
wrong
.
Let
’
s
go
with
this
one
.”
08
Curiosity
about
others
Genuinely
wants
to
understand
how
other
people
see
a
situation
,
beyond
what
is
required
to
win
the
argument
in
front
of
them
.
IN
PRACT ICE
Asks
a
second
and
third
follow
-
up
question
instead
of
pivoting
to
their
own
view
.
09
Deference
to
expertise
Yields
the
floor
to
whoever
knows
more
,
regardless
of
title
,
tenure
,
or
who
else
is
in
the
room
.
IN
PRACT ICE
Invites
the
security
engineer
to
make
the
final
call
on
a
security
trade
-
off
.
3 / 5
C
Other
-
orientation
10–14
10
Appreciation
of
others
Notices
specific
strengths
in
other
people
and
names
them
out
loud
,
in
detail
rather
than
in
generalities
.
IN
PRACT ICE
“
The
way
you
reframed
the
problem
in
that
meeting
is
what
unstuck
it
.”
11
Sharing
credit
Points
to
who
actually
did
the
work
,
even
when
they
could
plausibly
claim
it
for
themselves
without
being
contradicted
.
IN
PRACT ICE
“
This
was
Devika
’
s
insight
—
I
only
wrote
it
up
.”
12
Egalitarian
orientation
Applies
the
same
baseline
courtesy
to
everyone
,
regardless
of
status
,
seniority
,
or
how
useful
that
person
might
be
to
them
later
.
IN
PRACT ICE
The
same
warmth
with
the
receptionist
,
the
intern
,
and
the
board
chair
.
13
Empathy
and
perspective
-
taking
Works
to
understand
a
position
before
evaluating
it
,
particularly
when
they
disagree
with
it
or
find
it
inconvenient
.
IN
PRACT ICE
Restates
the
other
person
’
s
view
well
enough
that
they
say
“
yes
,
exactly
.”
14
Low
self
-
focus
Does
not
steer
conversations
back
to
their
own
experience
,
and
can
be
edited
out
of
a
story
without
objecting
.
IN
PRACT ICE
Asks
about
the
other
person
’
s
week
instead
of
reporting
on
their
own
.
4 / 5
D
Quiet
confidence
and
restraint
15–18
15
Unpretentiousness
No
status
signaling
,
no
name
-
dropping
,
no
credentials
offered
in
place
of
an
argument
.
IN
PRACT ICE
Explains
what
they
do
in
plain
language
,
without
listing
the
impressive
parts
first
.
16
Quiet
confidence
Secure
enough
not
to
need
constant
validation
,
and
does
not
perform
certainty
in
order
to
appear
authoritative
.
IN
PRACT ICE
“
I
think
this
is
right
—
and
here
is
where
I
could
be
wrong
.”
17
Lack
of
entitlement
Does
not
assume
special
treatment
,
priority
,
or
attention
—
and
notices
when
they
have
received
it
anyway
.
IN
PRACT ICE
Waits
their
turn
,
and
doesn
’
t
take
the
best
seat
in
the
room
by
default
.
18
Patience
with
others
’
faults
Extends
to
other
people
the
same
tolerance
they
would
want
for
themselves
,
especially
under
stress
or
deadline
.
IN
PRACT ICE
Corrects
the
mistake
without
the
sigh
,
the
tone
,
or
the
retelling
of
it
afterwards
.
E
Gratitude
and
service
19–20
19
Gratitude
Registers
what
has
been
given
rather
than
what
is
owed
,
and
says
so
in
specific
terms
rather
than
in
passing
.
IN
PRACT ICE
“
Thank
you
for
staying
late
on
this
—
I
know
that
wasn
’
t
in
your
plan
for
the
week
.”
20
Service
orientation
Measures
contribution
by
the
value
delivered
rather
than
by
the
recognition
received
for
it
.
IN
PRACT ICE
Does
the
invisible
maintenance
work
that
nobody
will
ever
notice
or
applaud
.
5 / 5
