The Importance of Humility for Expert Coaches: New Research Findings
Every professional in any field, including coaching, should feel a high level of confidence when they reach the highest levels of proficiency. But at the same time, experts can’t let their confidence degrade into overconfidence or arrogance. A recent study published in the top journal of Applied Psychology, has found that humility in a leader has a positive influence on subordinates' job satisfaction, creativity, and performance (Lehmann, Pery, Kluger, Hekman, Owens & Maloy, 2022). However, the study also suggests that humility among coworkers can also produce positive effects, particularly in the form of relationship-specific humility.
In two different pilots, the study found that humility has a significant relationship-specific variance component, even in teams that were not well acquainted with one another. This means that the level of humility expressed by a coworker can vary depending on the specific relationship they have with another coworker. In the main study, it was found that this relationship-specific humility is associated with relationship-specific perceptions of performance and that the relationship between relationship-specific humility and performance is mediated by relationship-specific psychological safety.
These findings highlight the importance of humility in the workplace, including but not limited to coaching engagements. Given that it is imperative that coaches cultivate relationships with clients, and create an environment where the client feels safe to be open, the study suggests that coaches need to revisit the degree to which they are sufficiently humble. Because even expert coaches have blind spots, and many desire Coaching Supervision to help notice them, the study suggests humility should be scrutinized for improvements. By continuously improving a coaches’ humility, they’re able to create an environment of trust and safety, which allows clients to feel comfortable and confident in their ability to disclose.
Being humble may be necessary for clients’ feeling safe, but it won’t be sufficient. The study further suggests an important, broad reminder about the senior-most coaches appreciating that the way to mature and grow the coaching profession worldwide, may require them to be humble about their own past practices, blind spots, or lack of knowledge about emerging coaching science. Just as is true in other sciences, such as Einstein overturning Newtonian physics, today’s expert coaches opinions and assumptions may be challenged or upended by new research and developments in the field. As such, it is essential for us to approach our work with humility and an open mind, always seeking to learn and improve our practice.
It is also important for us to role model and encourage humility among junior coaches. This means being open to new ideas and approaches that may feel uncomfortable or awkward, but are grounded in science and have the potential to improve the profession as a whole. By embracing humility and a willingness to learn and grow, we can better serve our clients and have a positive influence on the coaching profession.
Citation
Lehmann, M., Pery, S., Kluger, A. N., Hekman, D. R., Owens, B. P., & Malloy, T. E. (2022). Relationship-specific (dyadic) humility: How your humility predicts my psychological safety and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001059
