Highly successful people have some usual traits. They are hard workers, get into details, quick learners, good managers, very organized, dedicated, professional, take the task to finish stage, manage time well et al. Humility is another trait which we generally ignore.

I have yet to meet a person who is very successful but not humble. Success and humility is a great combination and definitely not a coincidence. Humility is not taught in management schools or even leadership workshops. Organizations want their leaders to be visionary, capable and motivational but nowhere do they say anything about being humble. There is a direct and logical relation between the two. Humility is a visible demonstration of concern and compassion. A humble person is one who does not demonstarte that he or she is better or more important than others. Many instances prove that success and humility are not incompatible. Anecdotes of personalities like Narayan Murthy and Amitabh Bachchan reiterate the success – humility correlation.

Some of the humble traits of successful people - Deadlines are sacred to them irrespective of the severity of the issue. They reply to all mails may be how trivial the matter is. They don’t snub subordinates or anyone for that matter; believe that there is no end to learning. They genuinely believe that they are not the best and someone somewhere can do things better than them. Successful leaders understand that a sense of humility is essential to winning hearts and minds.

Humility is an act of courtesy and it is not opposed to self-confidence as many may think. In fact, though it might seem like a paradox, people with the highest self-confidence have the highest humility, because they have nothing to prove to themselves. Humility is also a pre-requisite for continuous learning. If you have humility, you can have an open mind to absorb the changes. Giving a patient hearing to others is another trait of being humble.