Become Unshaken Podcast
This podcast is for anyone navigating the pressures of life. Together, Michael and Stephanie bring both grit and grace to the table. You’ll hear honest conversations about business, burnout, parenting in a blended family, marriage, leadership under pressure, and what it really looks like to build emotional resilience when the world doesn’t slow down. This isn’t just theory – it’s lived truth. Whether you’re leading a company, raising children, rebuilding after loss, or fighting to stay anchored in your purpose, you’ll find real tools and bold encouragement here.
Become Unshaken Podcast
Episode 35: Hidden Strength Series - Part 1 - The Humble Leader
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In today's culture, confidence often gets all the attention. We're told leaders should be bold, decisive, visionary, and unwavering. But what if one of the greatest leadership strengths isn't confidence at all? What if it's humility? In this episode, Stephanie and Michael explore why the best leaders aren't those who always have the answers, but those who are willing to ask better questions, admit mistakes, seek feedback, and continue learning. Together, they discuss the difference between confidence and ego - and why humility creates trust.
Welcome to the Become Unshaken Podcast, where we journey through the hard together. We're so glad you're here. Welcome back to the Become Unshaken Podcast. My name is Stephanie Rodriguez.
SPEAKER_01And I am Michael Rodriguez.
SPEAKER_00And I want to start today with a word that I think has a branding problem: humility. For many people, humility sounds like weakness. It sounds passive, quiet, maybe even lacking confidence. But I've been thinking a lot about humility lately, and I've been thinking differently. In my work, I've had the privilege of sitting with leaders at every stage of their career, from first-time managers to senior executives. And one thing continues to stand out to me. The leaders people trust the most aren't usually the loudest in the room. They don't claim to have all the answers. They're rarely the ones trying to prove themselves. They're the ones who listen, the ones who ask questions, the ones who admit when they don't know, the ones who are willing to change their minds when new information comes along. Somewhere along the way, we've started confusing confidence with certainty. But I don't think they're the same thing. Real confidence doesn't need to dominate a conversation. It doesn't need to win every argument. It doesn't need to have every answer. In fact, I think real confidence creates space for humility. Today's conversation isn't about making ourselves smaller. It's about discovering why some of the strongest leaders are also the most teachable. Michael, you've led teams, built businesses, coached athletes, you've stood on stages in front of thousands of people. When you hear the word humility, what comes to mind?
SPEAKER_01I agree wholeheartedly the that humility has a branding issue that that I do believe has a lot of negative connotations, and and those connotations, especially in today's day and age, right, and within our culture, really are counterintuitive. When I specifically think about humility, I can think of a few examples. One of them being, you know, I've been on boards and I'm in chambers and I'm board of directors for all kinds of organizations. And I have had you know a CEO that oversees the country, the continent within their organization, ask me questions seeking answers. I don't really work for him, he doesn't really work for me, and yet he's willing to say, hey, I'm seeing this, we're seeing this, this is what's going on. What do you see? Yeah. What do you think? So I I I think when someone with so much clout is willing to put their position or their title to the side and say, hey, human to human, yeah, give me your thoughts, give me your perspective. I need to better understand what's going on, and I think you can help me in that. I I think that is very different. And it really honestly led me to admire this CEO because it is such a refreshing and different and unique, unfortunately, a unique skill that I think leaders are lacking nowadays. And, you know, it also when when you have that experience, it makes you, right? Me, myself as a CEO and a as a business owner really look at the way in which I lead, the way in which I communicate, the way that I make decisions.
SPEAKER_00So I love that you use this story as an example of of humility and what it means to you, because you've clearly applied it in your life. You apply it where at work, at home. It's important. It's almost this kind of, I don't know, secret to why everything else works. So we're actually, I'm gonna go ahead and unveil it now. We're actually gonna do a three-part series. And this is part one. We are gonna talk about humility, not only as it relates to leadership and its value as as we approach leader leadership, whether it's at work or at home, but but also how it applies to being a great parent and even a great spouse and partner. So we are gonna do this and we're gonna do this justice, and we're gonna do it over the course of the next three podcasts. And today is today is part one. Today we're getting started. So I want to introduce one leadership concept that completely changed the way many people think about leadership. In his best-selling book, Good to Great, Jim Collins studied companies that dramatically outperform their competitors over many years. He expected to find charismatic, larger-than-life CEOs at the center of those success stories, but instead, he found something surprising. The most successful leaders shared two qualities that don't seem to go together: deep personal humility and fierce professional resolve. Collins called them level five leaders. They were ambitious, not for themselves, but for the mission. They gave credit to others when things went well, accepted responsibility when things didn't. That challenges so much of what we see in today's world. Michael, why do you think humility and leadership, they just seem so disconnected in our culture today?
SPEAKER_01I mean, the the reality is, and I I suppose I inadvertently hinted to this in the beginning, our culture is about me and I and perception of who I am, whether it's the truth or not, right? There are there are traits that I, as an American, right, or I as a man, or I as a business person, am supposed to personify to the world, right? And and typically success is supposed to look like a lot of money and a lot of fun and a lot of power, and I'm supposed to dress a certain way or carry myself a certain way. All of these things, right? Look anywhere. Watch a movie, watch a music video, read a book, watch a reality TV show. Everyone is telling us what to look like. Look at Instagram. If you're successful, this is what you do.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01You got the cars, you got the trips, you got the vacations, you got the perfect family photos, the the whole nine, right? There's there's an expectation. And, you know, one, most of us are faking it. I don't care how much of that is is real. Odds are all of it isn't real. And we can all be put into certain situations with which we will not be able to carry that same confidence. And yet the world says, don't show it. And I think, you know, so when when you are looking anywhere, and in this situation, we're talking about leadership at work, right? You're you're working. And unless you are the CEO, you are working to improve your status, your your role, your title. And so what do we usually take that as? I've got to outperform, I've got to outwork, I've got to have all the answers, I've got to be the answer person, I've got to be willing and able to do more than anyone else. We give ourselves all of these false expectations. And what happens is we then, you know, we we did uh at least one episode on imposter syndrome, right? And and what happens is I think you also then begin to lie to everyone else so much and lie to yourself that all of a sudden, I mean, forget humility, you can't acknowledge or admit anything because you're not really sure what's true or not anymore.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And so I just believe that that our culture, uh, no matter where it is, I mean, same with parenting. If you're a mom, you have mom guilt if you say no, or you'll have mom guilt if you didn't make a five-course meal for dinner, or if you didn't work all day, and then also take care of the family, and also show up to practice on time, and also you know, wear an alpha. I mean, it's it doesn't end. Right. And so I I think what we have kind of touched on, and what we're really gonna talk about today, is the fact that humility isn't a weakness, yeah, that humility while countercultural is actually peace giving and a key to success. And so, you know, really what what I want to make sure people get out of this conversation is that while what we see isn't necessarily, you know, promoting humility, the world doesn't promote humility. I think on on a micro level and on a personal level, humility might be, you know, the the most important trait that we can have in building relationships and in progression of life and relationships, working in professional relationships and personal as well. It needs to maybe be magnified more and encouraged more. And so, you know, can we, as we are unshaken and try to become unshaken and remain unshaken or to get back on solid ground, can we adopt humility as a trait that is actually beneficial at work?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I think about leaders that I've worked for that have shown humility and it always works. It always works, and and here's the secret as to why. It works because it usually shows up as curiosity, as questions, as you know, even openness and willingness to admit, I'm not sure about this one. I'm gonna need, I'm gonna need your help, or let's go find out from this team what they're doing, right? It it shows up in the behaviors and in the dialogue. And it always feels like partnership. It feels, I don't know, it feels like you're on a journey together. It doesn't feel like, you know, there's this pressure to know everything and to always be perfect. And I think a lot of people confuse confidence and ego, and I think that has a place in this conversation as we talk about humility, because I think you can be confident and humble at the same time. So I'd love to ask you your perspective. Can someone be deeply confident and deeply humble at the same time, in your opinion?
SPEAKER_01I hope so, because I would consider myself someone who is incredibly confident.
SPEAKER_00Is that why you're smiling?
SPEAKER_01Yes. Uh and I'm really I'm just hoping that here on the air you will confirm that to be true. Uh because I I have also, especially over the last, you know, five-ish, maybe a little longer years, really tried to become more humble. And I will say that my profession has required it. Yeah. Gosh, I guess, yeah, this is before. So before COVID. So I suppose I'm probably pushing more like 10 years of really trying to be actively in pursuit of humility. Yeah. And so, yes, right. Uh when I make decisions, I tend to be rather confident with the direction I'm going to go. And I will say that my confidence, I think, breeds confidence in my decisions with others. I think that others around me and within my organization, within, you know, again, I've got peer groups and boards of directors of incredibly, you know, highly successful people who trust my opinion as well, which is, you know, great, but it's authentic. The reality is that when I don't have an answer, I have no problem saying I have zero clue.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Right? Like, let's brainstorm. Who do we know that's smarter? And I'll say it, who do we know that's smarter than us that can help us work on this?
SPEAKER_00We're starting this business. I've I've seen it just in in how you ask questions and and who we even partner with and bring on board, right? To to inquire and to learn. Um, this has been as much of a learning journey for us as it has been, you know, taking a step forward because we think we know what's right. So we've learned all along the way and and we've we've done it together. So I've seen that in real time. I think the other interesting thing that I observe with you is, you know, not only do we have this business together, but I see you run your own business and I see you um do what you need to do to move the ball forward for for Subway. And I think what's interesting is the way I see confidence showing up in you is risk taking. So you're confident in testing and learning. So you test new ideas, new ways of solving problems, you learn quickly and then you adapt. And to me, that's the humility piece. Just because you put an idea in place doesn't mean you stick with it regardless of what it's showing you. You watch, you learn, and then you pivot. And then you also test some of your ideas with your peers. And I've seen you do that too is hey, what are you guys doing to solve for this? Hey, what are you what are you learning here? And and is it different in this market? And so the ability to ask questions, take risks, and then adapt tells me you're deeply confident and humble. And I think that's how that shows up.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's very, very sweet of you to say. And and yes, totally accurate.
SPEAKER_00And and again, I promise not biased. It's real.
SPEAKER_01Yes, good. I know you will always tell me the direct truth.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, we'll get we'll get there in a minute.
SPEAKER_01No sugar coat. But no, I I that is correct, right? And and yes, I I've made many decisions that involve risk, and and a million percent, you must remain adaptable. And and what does that mean? That means that you do not come up with something that you think is brilliant, put it in play, and as you see it failing, say, nope, I'm gonna die with my terrible idea. No, I don't want that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01If it's not working, I'm again racking my brain, asking other people that have done this before or may have experienced it. I'm I'm sending out feeler texts and emails and saying, hey, listen, what do you guys see in here? Do you know anybody that's dealt with this? You know, I'm I'm seeing this. What are we doing? Right. And and the other thing is that openness actually makes you now more reliable to your peers and your friends because they know that you're coming with it with that kind of heart. All of a sudden now you're the people that you may be working with, they go, okay, they're willing to ask questions, they're willing to admit that that they're wrong. Now that breeds and fosters the humility across your team, where all of a sudden now nobody is sitting here thinking, I'm gonna make my way work and I don't care what anyone else says, because that's not how we do business. That's not how we live our lives, that's not how we raise our kids. And so, you know, humility opens the door to growth and progress and so much more. I mean, dare I even say joy in difficult situations because man, my identity isn't being destroyed by a bad idea or bad by a mistake.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Yeah. And I think ego, the difference there is ego will probably drive you to take risks that aren't smart, right? They don't have, they don't have enough weight behind them in terms of why you're even making that choice or and not enough input from others or or reason or data to support that risk in particular, being the the the way that you're you're deciding to go, and can oftentimes lead you astray, especially if you're not willing to adapt quick enough. So I think that's an interesting, I think, place to start as we explore the difference between confidence and ego, because I don't want to confuse this idea of being humble as our our ask of leaders to be passive in any way or take a back seat. In fact, it's the opposite.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I mean, I I think, you know, when we talk about patience not being passive, I mean, listen, we are we are anything but passive, right? We we remain active, we were always forward moving, we're always trying to push the ball forward, we're always staying, you know, keeping momentum going in one direction. And again, when there are mistakes made or missteps or or something along those lines, we then just change the direction of the ball, but we're still moving forward. And and again, if you are so concerned with that ego, so arrogant and the way in which you live, it is setting yourself up for failure. Yeah. Because you will die on hills you should never die on, you will refuse to accept reality, which then makes everyone look at you as if you're on another planet, right? They'll never trust the decisions that you make. Yeah. You know, you see it, you see it in organizations all the time. When I see franchisees who treat their people horribly, they lack empathy. It's all about yell, scream, my way or no way, and and then they'll they'll hire a great general manager who comes from a different organization that was successful and they don't do it the way that they do, all they do is butt heads and fight and argue. And you actually run away confident, capable, yeah, talented people because it has to be your way. And then you're alone on this island and you're thinking to yourself, yeah, woe is me. Everyone's terrible. And if everyone would just do what I say, the way that I say it, as I say it, when I want it, then everything would be fine. That is not reality. And so, you know, humility is active, but my goodness, it's for the greater good, yeah, as opposed to my greater good. And it and it's not even for success, it's for how do I make me feel good about how smart and brilliant and great I am.
SPEAKER_00Okay, you're gonna make me do it. I'm gonna I'll share a story where I did, I did lead with the ego. Okay so when I first became a manager in sales, I I assumed I needed to have all the answers. Clearly I was wrong, but I was so early in my career, I was so green, and I was so hungry for success that I allowed myself to believe that on the first day on the job, before I even knew the names of my people, I had to know the business, know the customers, know the direction we were headed, know exactly what the key insights were within the marketplace and in the business that we were going to absolutely run with. And I didn't know anything, but I thought I had to. So when I stood in front of them for the first time ever, I presented this plan to a group of amazing talented people and they all looked at me like I had six heads. And I and I was so curious as to why. And I immediately found my mistake. I immediately saw my error and humbly said, you know what, I may have gone a little too fast. The funny thing is, the irony is I I killed myself trying to build it, to build that plan to no avail. It didn't help them, it didn't help me. But I I actually am really thankful for that moment because it it told me really quickly what my fault was going to be in that job, what I was going to have to do my best to avoid, which is assuming I have the answers, that I need to know the answers. And really the goal for me in that first year was to avoid all of my natural instincts of needing to be right and just trusting and caring and nurturing talent that was right in front of me. Just learning about them, learning what mattered to them, learning what they knew about the business, meeting the customers. I had to learn before I could lead. And I had to learn that the hard way. So I will say that you you said enough to prompt me to share that story. I wasn't sure if I was gonna share it, but you know, humility, right?
SPEAKER_01That's right.
SPEAKER_00So let's talk about actually it's related to humility in so many ways, but this idea of being willing to say you're sorry, right? There are three words I think some leaders struggle to say, which was I I was wrong, right? That this was this was not right. I shouldn't have taken us down this path. Yet every time I've seen the leader say these words, I was wrong, it it's not diminished credibility. It's actually increased it. Um, it's always benefited them and the culture on their team. So why do you think admitting we are wrong is so difficult?
SPEAKER_01You know, a lot of times, you know, we like to think that, oh, if we made a mistake, hopefully no one saw that. We kind of look around, whatever it is, right? And here's a reality. Everyone saw it, right? People see it. People know when you make a mistake. You know, it I remember uh I don't know why this memory just jumped in my head, but it was maybe third grade or fourth grade, and we were doing some Christmas song program, and I was Santa, and we were all dancing, and I'm on the stage, and we are stepping forward, stepping forward, and stepping back, stepping back, and I stepped right off the back of the stage, straight up, step right off the stage, and I fell off the stage and I jumped back up and I just kept on going, kept on going, right? And acknowledge it. Everybody saw you fall off the stage, you young man, and keep on going, right? When we deny reality, it makes us untrustworthy. Yeah. So if I fall off of a stage, and then people are like, oh, are you are you okay? Like, from what? Nothing happened. What are you talking about? Okay, no one's worried about me falling off the stage. They're now worried that I'm delusional and that I have no grasp on reality.
SPEAKER_00That's funny, but it's true. It's it's actually interesting that you said it that way because it's true. Then they start questioning your judgment.
SPEAKER_01Right. I can't trust this person to do anything. If they can make a mistake and then completely lie to me in a room of people and say that it didn't happen, why would I trust them with literally anything? And why could I trust what they say? I learned so young. Yeah, man. Yeah, I did it. Sure did. My bad. I'm gonna do better next time. I'm gonna try and do better. That gets you so much more credibility. Because here's the thing if you're a leader and you refuse to acknowledge mistakes, well, now your people feel like they can't acknowledge that they're human. And all of a sudden now we're all lying and we're all hiding and we're all pretending and we're all covering up and we're all doing whatever it takes to be who we're not, learning nothing, not growing, not getting better, and then we're all miserable. We are all lying. Yeah, and no one wants to live or work in that kind of an environment. The best thing you can do as a leader is go, yeah, no, that was my mistake. Yeah, that was my fault. That was a bad decision.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_01I apologize for what that did. Maybe I, you know, uh if if that put you, you know, out, I'm sorry if that messed up the rest of your day. I apologize. If I gave you wrong instructions there, or I'm sorry that that email was not clear. I actually just I sent my accountant an email that was not clear and they needed clarification. And the first thing I said was, oh my gosh, I'm sorry. That was poorly worded. Yeah. Total misunderstanding. My fault. Admitting your mistakes makes you a leader that people will jump on grenades for.
SPEAKER_00And you know why, especially is because everyone does make mistakes. So I know we're talking about leadership in particular, but because every human being does, it makes you more human, right? It, you know, you don't need to be on a pedestal to lead, right? You just don't. One thing I've observed throughout my AHR career is that people don't expect leaders to be perfect. If anything, it's hard to trust someone that is coming across as if they are. If you expect them to be authentic, teams usually know when something isn't working. And the question is whether the leader is willing to acknowledge it. That acknowledgement will carry you so much farther. So well said. I think we both have had that experience.
SPEAKER_01100%. And what else I think it does is it actually allows you to hold people accountable more because you're holding yourself accountable. Right. So if I'm coming into work late and I say, listen, guys, that's the you know, that's that's my bad. I missed this first meeting. Sincerest apologies will not happen again, right? That's my fault. And I will I will stay later and I will do whatever I need to do to make sure that my part of this project, of this job, whatever, gets done. You can then look at someone and go, hey, remember now, I I was late, I had to do this, that's the expectation. This is still gonna get done. Yeah, and I need you to be here on time and you know, again, address the elephant. There should be no elephants in the room. Just say it. Yeah, acknowledge it, address it, get over it, and move on.
SPEAKER_00I did a master class actually on power, on this idea of having power in the workplace. And and one of the things that it said in this in this course was never apologize. Do you remember I told you it never apologized?
SPEAKER_01Do you remember I don't remember what the class was on, but I heard that and I said, I'm sorry.
SPEAKER_00What's yeah, it's the idea of kind of holding power right in your position. And I gotta say, it's I get it. I get why you would assume not to.
SPEAKER_01There's a lot of context in it that tried to make it make sense. Yeah. But the strategy as a whole, I firmly disagree with that.
SPEAKER_00If you're wrong, you're wrong. And just admit that you're wrong. I think the other pure form of expression of humility is staying curious. I think being able to apologize when not apologize, but but admit when you have made a mistake, and then also show that you don't know the answers by remaining curious and your questioning. I think those are the two purest ways of expressing humility at work.
SPEAKER_01Those are great. And now this this conversation on power, right? And we're also talking about confidence and can you have these things while being humble? If I'm not worried about your perception of me being human, that actually makes me more powerful. I'm willing to admit when I'm wrong, and I'm also going to be confident enough to know I'm not going to lose sleep over it. I still have a lot to offer. I'm still exactly who I am and in this role. I'm willing to still work. I'm willing to still put in the grind necessary. I'm willing to still lead and push and do all the things I need to do. But I can admit when I'm wrong. That actually makes me more powerful because your perception of me or my making a mistake isn't going to make me fear my ability to still lead. So, you know, it's like uh again, sports analogies. I want the ball on the game-winning shot every time. Every time. And if I miss it, man, I missed it. And I'll tell you why I missed it. Because I was fatigued, because I didn't flick my wrist, because I didn't elevate enough, because I wasn't thinking X, Y, and Z. But next time, I'll still take the ball.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01And I'll do it differently. Teach me. Make me better. Show me how. And I got it. That is confidence, not arrogance, right? Or ego. And to be humble enough to say, I made a mistake, but I still believe in myself and want to lead this team the best that I can. That is power. Yeah. That is leadership.
SPEAKER_00Well said. And I I love that you're describing leadership right now because this idea about curiosity, right? That I just just alluded to. I want to dive deeper into it because I think I think you can approach it from two different angles. Okay. So, so as a leader, you can show humility by being curious, by asking questions around areas that you don't necessarily have expertise in. Because the higher you go in leadership, the less of an expert you become, right? Because your your scope becomes far greater than your ability to be an expert in all things all the time. So your ability to ask questions, smart questions of the right people will help you be able to get to be able to get to a place where you're making the decision or at least influencing the decision that you need to. So there is an element there of curiosity when you don't necessarily know the answer. The other thing, though, as a leader, especially if you have responsibility of people in your scope, is being curious about where they are at in their own decision making, in their own problem solving. So if you come in as a leader and simply solve and simply answer a question, should you know the answer, what you're doing is you're robbing them of that opportunity to show you where they're at in their own thinking process. And that way you can influence them to get to the next step. You're also really taking away that opportunity for you to kind of get to a place where you're learning about them and yourself in that moment. And so curiosity, both for your own self and knowledge and understanding, but also for the benefit of your folks and being able to coach them and guide them and push them to their very best and to their potential. I think being curious helps you in both of those ways as a leader. And I think that's why for me, if I had to break it down into these purest expressions of humility in the best, most meaningful way, it is probably curiosity that for me rises to the top.
SPEAKER_01That's good. And and the other thing that it does is it empowers them, right? It shows them that this isn't all about me. I'm not, I don't need to be the answer person for absolutely everything. And the more that we prove to each other what we can do, how we can answer, what what our specialty is, what our, you know, what whatever the problem is, I know who to go to as a result of these conversations. I'm also not trying to hold you down to propel myself. And I think that that is something that I even experience. I can I will have managers who do not hire people who they are concerned with could take their job. Or they do not train. It should be the exact opposite. The exact opposite. And yet, insecurity leads to I don't want competition. I need to just make sure I'm the best by only hiring terrible people, or I need to not give anyone else an opportunity to answer this question or this email or talk at this meeting because it needs to be about me and I need to maintain my status. And those decisions come from insecurity, which leads and breeds contempt and quitting and checking out total toxicity. And so confidence and humility. Humility actually proves your confidence. So acknowledge when you don't. Well said. Thank you so much.
SPEAKER_00You were looking at me like, uh, is she gonna notice what I just said? Hey, I was locked in for the good, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So you gotta do it, right? And again, your team benefits your family, your marriage, all the things we're gonna talk about. It all humility only grows. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Are you ready? Let's challenge the idea. So before we wrap up, and I'm I have rapid fire for you today. We're not there yet, though. Let's challenge this idea for a minute.
SPEAKER_01You have rapid fire?
SPEAKER_00I do. But this it has to be rapid. Last time we didn't do rapid. So before we wrap up, and before we get to rapid fire, can humility ever become unhealthy? Sure. Okay, so how do we remain humble without becoming passive?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I I think if we become so quote unquote humble that now we have no opinions, yeah. We make we make no decisions. Hey. You guys run with it. Yeah, is the sky blue? Is the sky blue? Well, I don't I don't know, Jim. What do you think when you look at the sky? You know, I'm not really up to date on my science. Uh perhaps you can all of a sudden now we're just passing the bill and we refuse to make any decisions. Yes, that's a problem. And, you know, whether it's at work or it's at home, you are a leader somewhere.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01You must lead. Right? And and again, we just talked about you can't just say, I know everything when you don't, but you can't become so, again, quote unquote humble that yes, you are passive, you're checked out, you have no opinion, and you refuse to answer anything. That is a problem.
SPEAKER_00Awesome. Okay, you ready?
SPEAKER_01Is this rapid fire?
SPEAKER_00This actually has to be rapid though. You have to okay.
SPEAKER_01Well, hold on. I'm gonna ask you to also answer the rapid fire questions.
SPEAKER_00All of them, we don't have time for all of them.
SPEAKER_01It's rapid fire.
SPEAKER_00Think one.
SPEAKER_01It's rapid fire.
SPEAKER_00Okay, one word answers.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Is that are you okay?
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_01Ready?
SPEAKER_00I see what you did there. A humble leader you admire.
SPEAKER_01Barack.
SPEAKER_00Awesome. One leadership quality that you value more today than you did 10 years ago.
SPEAKER_01Humility.
SPEAKER_00A fill in the blank. The best leaders always.
SPEAKER_01Walk the walk.
SPEAKER_00Nice. Walk the walk. I love it. Okay, well, we've run out of time. So we're jumping to our close. So as we wrap up today, I keep coming back to one simple thought. The strongest leaders I've ever known weren't trying to prove that they were the smartest person in the room. They were trying to bring out the best in everyone else. They understood that leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about creating an environment where people feel safe enough to ask questions, share ideas, make mistakes, and continue growing. Humility doesn't make a leader smaller. It makes room for other people to become bigger. I love this. Write that down. And isn't that what leadership is really about? Not building followers, building other leaders. As we close, I want to leave you with this week's unshaken question. Where in your leadership might certainty be getting in the way of curiosity? Maybe the next breakthrough for your team won't come from having a better answer. Maybe it will come from asking a better question. Thanks for joining us today. Next week, we'll continue our hidden strength series by exploring what humility looks like in one of the most important leadership roles any of us will ever have being a parent. Until then, stay grounded, stay teachable, and continue becoming unshaken.
SPEAKER_01Hashtag stay humble.
SPEAKER_00Everybody take care.
SPEAKER_01Have a good week.
SPEAKER_00We're so glad you joined us today. If you found inspiration through today's episode, share it with a friend and make sure to follow so you don't miss what's ahead. Until next time, choose joy, regardless, in whatever comes your way. See you next week.