Red Hat CEO Jim Whitehurst on why it’s so important for a leader to be humble

That said, it’s important to be humble. It takes time, effort and a good dose of humility — especially if you’re the CEO — to lead an open organization. If you don’t openly allow and encourage your people to tell you you’re wrong, you’ll never build an organization that can innovate better than your competitors. People want the opportunity to voice their opinion. They expect to be heard — but not always to be heeded. Even if they don’t like the decision that’s ultimately made, they will have the chance to make peace with it now rather than six months — or six years — down the road. That’s how you remove barriers and quiet the naysayers. Go out and talk to the people with whom you work. You can simply ask a few people in your organization for their thoughts on a decision you are making. They won’t question your…

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