Humble leadership: A review and synthesis of leader expressed humility

Recent academic research has proliferated around the construct of humble leadership. Humble leadership involves having an accurate view of oneself, recognizing the contributions of followers, and modeling teachability. Given the growing interest in this construct, we provide a review of the humble leadership literature. First, we clarify how humble leadership has been defined and measured in the current literature and discuss how it compares to moral-based leadership approaches. Second, we review the extant literature by examining humble leadership's theoretical and nomological network, highlighting the antecedents, outcomes, moderators, and mediators. Third, we provide an overview of key methodological strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we conclude by drawing upon our review of the literature to present directions for future research that will advance the understanding of humble leadership. In sum, our review highlights the key elements and findings of where humble leadership has been and indicates ways to drive this literature forward.

Automated summary

Recent academic research has shown a growing interest in humble leadership, which involves self-awareness, recognition of followers' contributions, and teachability. This review provides an overview of the humble leadership literature by clarifying its definition and measurement, comparing it to moral-based leadership approaches, examining its theoretical and nomological network, and discussing key methodological strengths and weaknesses. The review concludes by suggesting directions for future research to further advance the understanding of humble leadership.