Humility in Thought Leadership with Bryan Orr

To be truly effective, thought leaders need to have empathy and understand how others think; they demonstrate professional pride and personal humility, not personal pride and professional apathy. Influence is also a part of being a thought leader, but it’s not a prerequisite; service is the more important aspect, as it aims for an end result that makes someone else’s life better. (Bryan compares serving others to what it means to “deserve” something.)

Thought leaders need to assess how they feel when others are in the spotlight: happy or protective. If we’re happy to support someone else who is getting credit for the causes we believe in, we are putting those causes first, not our egos. Thought leaders must also be careful about keeping their egos in check when presented with new information; if we are truly dedicated to the trades and the causes being championed, our ideologies need to be able to adapt to new information.

Our opinions should only matter when we make decisions that affect us or when we are asked. It is not our place to give unsolicited advice or offer opinions that tear others down. Opinions offered when nothing is at stake on our end don’t mean anything to the broader goal. Similarly, introspection done for selfish reasons or to justify certain behaviors is not meaningful, whereas introspection done in service of others is worthwhile.

Some common not-so-humble thoughts deal with the same idea of “deserving” that Bryan touches on throughout the presentation, including “I am entitled to be heard.” The same goes for people who believe that they are integral to a cause or movement, not just fortunate to be surrounded by others who care equally about the cause. Humility is NOT self-serving.

Imposter syndrome is a common occurrence in leaders, but Bryan argues that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It pushes us into authenticity, vulnerability, and growth, but it can also make us become defensive and withdraw. The Dunning-Kruger effect provides an explanation for imposter syndrome; when we know very little about a topic, we tend to be confident in it. When we realize how little we know, we lose our confidence (i.e., imposter syndrome). If we commit ourselves to continuous learning, we can regain our confidence and obtain more knowledge; we reach the plateau of sustainability.

It is possible to slip backward on the Dunning-Kruger scale, often due to unbridled idealism or a disconnect from reality. Intentionality and focus are good, but they can also keep us from acknowledging other viewpoints (and reality).

We have a lot of positive communication nowadays in the industry, but we do our best when we all work as a unit with a common goal and set aside our egos. The HVAC industry will make the most progress when all of us listen to others and aim to serve them instead of focusing on what we deserve.

Buy your virtual tickets or learn more about the 6th Annual HVACR Training Symposium at https://hvacrschool.com/symposium.

Read all the tech tips, take the quizzes, and find our handy calculators here or on the HVAC School Mobile App for Apple and Android.