Different times require different customs. The 33rd American president, Harry S. Truman, once said: “You can achieve anything in life if you don't make a big deal out of who gets the credit.” The recently ousted US president represented a very different leadership style. Today, humble leadership is being discussed, which may sound a bit vague in Estonian and may not inspire much trust or respect towards a leader. Let's look behind the words and actions, to see what is really being talked about. Towards the end of the last century, and before the most recent financial crisis, the business world was highly leader-centric, with charismatic leaders such as Lee Iacocca (Chrysler) and Jack Welsh (General Electric) in the USA, and Percy Barnevik (ABB) in Europe, who wielded power and authority to increase shareholder profits and their own bonuses. They were talked about, and they talked themselves - at the same time, headhunters looked for similar people, as they had shaped the mold of a super leader and their work brought in money for the owners. Many will surely remember charismatic leaders of Estonian companies as well.
Peep Aaviksoo: how humble can a leader be without losing authority as a leader?
