The consequences of humility for leaders: A double-edged sword

Abstract

Though previous research finds that followers, teams, and organizations benefit when leaders express humility, drawing on leader categorization theory reveals negative consequences for the leader. We posit that displays of humility signal certain prototypical leader characteristics, such that expressed humility increases communal, but reduces agentic characteristics; given that both are positively associated with leadership, displays of humility differentially impact important leader outcomes such as leader effectiveness and undermining (e.g., punishments, rewards). Across five studies, we generally find support for mutual suppression such that expressed humility impacts leader effectiveness and undermining by simultaneously decreasing perceptions of agentic while increasing perceptions of communal characteristics. Our work provides a more balanced perspective on the consequences of leader humility by demonstrating that, seemingly under ideal circumstances, humility can lead to both benefits and costs for the leader. Given the potential downsides to humility, our work has important, practical implications for leader development.