I recently asked ChatGPT to identify the top leadership attributes from the most admired companies. Unsurprisingly, it listed qualities like visionary thinking, decisiveness, integrity, communication skills, and resilience. Noticeably absent? Humility.

"Old school" corporate culture has long celebrated outwardly bold and assertive leadership styles, and it is easy to understand why these approaches are so well engrained. But a growing body of evidence suggests that humble leaders may be more effective at driving engagement and performance.

The notion of humble leadership is not new - Jim Collins highlighted the importance of humility in his seminal 2005 book "Good to Great." However, it has struggled to gain mainstream acceptance, especially in western business culture that extols the power of the individual. We seem hardwired to self-promote individual capabilities as a strategy for career survival.

Indeed, humility can make some leaders uneasy. Just last month, HBR warned that excessive humility risks "diminishing perceived authority." Yet this conventional wisdom may be overthinking things.

At its core, humble leadership is about three key behaviors:

1. Self-Awareness: Knowing and being transparent about your strengths and weaknesses.

2. Appreciating Others: Spotting talent and creating teams with complementary skills.

3. Constant Learning: Putting yourself in uncomfortable situations to build new capabilities.

These behaviors are remarkably simple and practical. Embracing self-awareness allows leaders to deploy their talents optimally while mitigating blind spots. Appreciating the unique strengths of others builds engaged, empowered teams. And an insatiable curiosity to learn equips leaders to adapt in our ever-changing world.

Some may view humility as incongruous with strong leadership. But decades of psychology research links humility to greater self-control, resilience, and cooperation - qualities that allow leaders to be their best selves and elevate those around them.

While Western philosophy hasn't directly extolled humility's virtues, ancient wisdom embraced humility's core tenets. The Stoics preached knowing one's limitations. Buddhism encouraged transcending the ego. Millennia later, Japanese cultural concepts like "hansai" continue weaving self-reflection into leadership.

Rather than espousing humility itself, leaders may find more success embodying its key behaviors. Self-awareness, talent appreciation, and constant learning are "no regrets" moves that position leaders for sustainable impact.