Humility at Work: Is it Possible?

The other day I read this story about the Chicago Bulls’ first-round draft pick, Derrick Rose. It’s about what a talented player he is, but also how quiet he can be. Especially for a young guy experiencing some success in the NBA. And this caught my eye:

Teammate Lindsey Hunter, who is in his 15th NBA season, calls Rose “a guard with some freakish ability and an extra gear that a lot of guys don’t have.” Hunter wasn’t expecting the rest of the package.

“It was like a breath of fresh air to see how humble he was, how eager to learn,” he said. “He really has a lot of selflessness in him, and that’s a unique find these days. It’s a hard thing to come by.”

Humility is something I really prided myself on back in my baseball days growing up. I didn’t do it on purpose, it’s just the way I was built for that particular game. I didn’t appreciate younger guys coming up and acting out like they were hot stuff—it was a major turnoff. If you’re even a moderate pro-sports fan, this will sound all-too familiar.

But seeing young guys like Derrick Rose impress veteran players with their humility is a huge breath of fresh air. And it got me thinking about humility in the workplace. Is there a place for it?

I’ve been thinking about this for a while after writing my “Being a Better Employee” series. Let’s say you thought of a great idea and your whole group is getting credit for it. Should you step in and say something so everyone knows it was your idea? Should you keep your mouth shut and not say a word? You want to be a team player, but no one is going to watch out for your interests but yourself. How else will your bosses realize how valuable you are if you don’t toot your own horn at least a little bit?

“It’s Just Business”

How many times have you heard that from pro athletes? That’s the first thing that comes to mind is that big contract that lures them away from their home team in exchange for bigger dollar signs. Most fans get upset and say the player “sold out” or “followed the money.” Wouldn’t we all do the same? Granted, it’s different when you’re talking a salary of XX thousand dollars versus millions of dollars, but don’t we also want to feel like we’re being valued by our employer?

I don’t like to “toot my own horn” at work. It feels very self servient and selfish (plus it’s just plain awkward). But sometimes you have to do it, otherwise people may never know how valuable you are to the job. How many times have you heard a boss/company offer someone more money when they say they’ve found another job. Often times they’re shocked because they have no idea how much you wanted to leave or how vital you were to the office.

So I guess this is more of a question than an informative post with humorous lines in it (like all the other ones).

Is there room for humility at work? And if there is, how do you balance that (which I think is a valuable, or at least likable quality) with the need to be recognized/rewarded at work?