March 13, 2025
While it may seem somewhat obvious, I previously noted that the only way to gain self-confidence is to exert continuous effort; that the nobility of work is in providing value to others; and that when we give joy to others and see their happiness, we too become happy, and this virtuous cycle brings about confidence in ourselves.
However, while having confidence is itself a good thing, some people may perceive it as off-putting, or even as arrogance. And although people who are forthrightly confident tend to be trusted, arrogance can lead to the contrary result of losing trust. This is precisely why it is necessary to have both confidence and humility at the same time.
There are times when I myself lack humility, and so this is an admonition to myself as well. In order to maintain humility, there are number of things to pay attention to.
Have eyes to see yourself objectively
It seems easy but is actually hard to understand your own abilities; we can say that the beginning of arrogance is when your confidence exceeds your abilities. Indeed, it is by having a realistic view of yourself and understanding your own abilities that you will be able to reach out to others for help when you need it.
Be willing to listen
Some people, when they start to gain confidence in their work, gradually become less open to the opinions of others. As people become older and rise further in the hierarchy, they tend to get fixated on their past success, and their values become more rigid. If we are to continue to grow, we must be willing to listen fairly and openly to what others are telling us.
Recognize your own deficiencies and weaknesses
We had a staff member who maintained that, “The weaker you are at a task, the more suited you are to do it.” That’s because you pay close attention when you’re not good at something. You might say that making up for weakness with effort is a proper expression of humility. imperfection
Recognize your mistakes
The humble person is one who can honestly admit to having made a mistake. Once you’ve recognized that you’ve done something wrong, you start to get ideas about what to do in order to fix it. Also, it is only when someone acknowledges a misstep that the people around them become willing to step in and assist. Efforts to avoid failure are essential, but when these are accompanied by honest and sincere efforts toward recovery in the face of a breakdown, others will have a better impression, and the bonds of trust among colleagues will become stronger.
Maintain a feeling of respect towards others
Even as you look hard at yourself, you mustn’t forget to have respect for all those involved. When you have respect for others, you yourself will come to have a natural and humble demeanor. And when someone respectfully tells you something, even if it’s something difficult to hear, you will naturally develop a feeling of gratitude, enabling you to listen receptively.
I’ve mentioned this in previous posts, but our company has a weekly “Beer Bash” event where we all get together and talk about things like managerial philosophy and TOPC Axis. The concepts noted above are not things that I myself told the staff, but rather shared understandings that the staff have arrived at. In particular, the idea of maintaining a feeling of respect for others was brought up first thing by one of our interns. I for one had not realized the importance of respect for others in having an attitude of humility. But the more I’ve thought about it, the more I’ve come to feel that that might just be the most important element.
Even at my age, I found that I have things to learn from an intern 30 years my junior. It made me glad for our weekly Beer Bash and the opportunities it gives us for this kind of learning. I am grateful as well to all our staff members, who continuously bestow new discoveries upon me.
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