Yes, No, Maybe So: Is humility a vice or a virtue for elected leaders?

• Author: Birdsong, Nicholas
• Position: ETHICS 101

Was Socrates right that humility is a prerequisite to good leadership, or was Aristotle correct when he said that an effective leader must be prideful? Were they both right?

Even though these two founders of Western philosophy staked out their competing positions on the value of humility some 2,500 years ago, the question is no less relevant today. Every individual holding or running for public office chooses to express himself or herself either with or without humility. Both choices come with potential advantages and disadvantages.

What does "humble leadership" even look like?

Everyone has some idea about what humility means. It is an attitude toward oneself somewhere between loathing and superiority. A humble person does not view herself as more important than others, but neither does she lack self-worth. Some scholars have defined it as the accurate estimation of one's own importance, abilities and value.

Although generally considered a virtue, the concept of humility seems at odds with some of the requirements of leadership.

The decision to pursue public office, for instance, requires a certain degree of hubris. It takes supreme confidence to see large, complex social problems and say, "I got this." A genuinely modest person would struggle to consider himself, versus all other qualified candidates, as the best one to make decisions that affect entire communities.

A little braggadocio might help when running for office. Self-aggrandizement can promote belief in a candidate's superior qualifications or abilities, in contrast to one who humbly underplays personal achievements.

Consider, for example, which sounds more appealing for a voter concerned with the economy: the humble, "I will do everything in my power to improve our economy," or the presumably unrealistic claim, "My election will result in the strongest economy of all time."

Despite the apparent barriers, there are politicians who are both humble and successful. The story of George Washington as a reluctant president, more interested in supporting a fledgling nation than his own glorification, serves as one of the most notable examples from American history. Abraham Lincoln used his self-deprecating humor to endear himself to his peers and the public.

Humility benefits public officials by...