Episode 426 - Next-Level Leadership: The Power of Kind and Humble People

This episode unpacks why working with kind and humble people is more powerful than working with smart people alone. Great leaders value emotional intelligence as much as intellect. Learn how to build teams that are both brilliant and grounded.

Host: Paul Falavolito
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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Helping leaders motivate their people to a higher level of
performance through strong human relations, team building, and goal achieving.
This is the seven Minute Leadership Podcast with your host
Paul fella Aledo. Hello everyone, and welcome to the seven
Minute Leadership Podcast. It's episode four twenty six. This episode

(00:29):
comes from something I saw recently that stopped me in
my tracks. It was a sign that said working with
smart people is great. Working with kind and humble people
is next level amazing. That's it, simple words, but a
powerful leadership message. So let's talk about it. Every workplace

(00:54):
has smart people. We've got resumes packed with degrees, certifications,
and experience, and yes that's important. We want capable minds
in the room. We want people who can solve problems,
manage risk, understand the data, and make smart decisions. But
here's the reality. Smart doesn't always mean effective because if

(01:18):
that intelligence comes with the ego, arrogance, or a lack
of self awareness, it can actually poison a team. What
that sign reminded me of, and what I want you
to take away from today, is this character will always
outperform credentials over time. Here's what I mean by that.

(01:41):
Number One, Kindness isn't weakness. A lot of people get
this wrong. They think if you're kind, you're soft, that
people will walk all over you. But here's what I've learned.
Kind leaders make people feel safe. Kind coworkers create environments
where people want to show up and give their best.

(02:03):
Kindness actually reduces friction and accelerates progress. A kind person
will pause to help a teammate, check in when someone's
off their game, and make sure credit is shared instead
of hoarded. That builds trust, and trust is the currency
of high performance teams. Number two. Humility keeps your culture healthy.

(02:28):
There's nothing worse than a room full of people who
are constantly trying to be the smartest. Humble people listen
more than they talk. They admit when they're wrong, they're coachable,
they don't need the spotlight. And here's the kicker. Humble
leaders actually create more leaders because they don't view other

(02:49):
people's success as a threat. If your workplace is full
of humble people, you won't need to beg anyone to
help the new hire. They'll step up on your own.
They'll share what they know, and they'll do it without
needing a gold star. Number three, Smart plus kind plus

(03:10):
humble equals unstoppable. Now, don't get me wrong, I still
want smart people on my team. But smart only gets
you to the table. Kind and humble is what keeps
you in the room. That's the magic formula. Smart enough
to do the work, kind enough to bring others along,

(03:31):
humble enough to keep learning. This combo is rare. When
you find it in someone their gold. When you find
it in a whole team, you're about to do something special.
Number four. As a leader, you set the tone. So
here's where it comes back to you. You don't just

(03:52):
hire for skills, you hire for attitude. You don't just
reward results, you reward behavior. You don't just tolerate high
performers who are jerks. You show them the door. Because
the culture you allow is the culture you lead. If
you want next level leadership, you better start modeling next

(04:15):
level traits. So anyone can be smart, but it takes
real strength to be kind, and it takes real courage
to be humble. That sign I saw wasn't just a
cute quote. It was a challenge. Be the kind of
person people want to work with, not just the one

(04:38):
they have. That's the kind of leadership that changes people
and changes organizations. This has been the seven Minute Leadership
Podcast and as always, I thank you for listening. For
more Paul fell of Alito podcasts, visit paulfellowalito dot com