Leader Expressed Humility: Development and Validation of Scales Based on a Comprehensive Conceptualization

At the Sasin Research Seminar, Dr. Kraivin Chintakananda, Assistant Professor of Management at the University of Macau, conducted a study “Leader Expressed Humility: Development and Validation of Scales Based on a Comprehensive Conceptualization,” which introduces new leader humility scales capturing a theoretically rich conceptualization of leader-expressed humility aligned with traditional and ethically-grounded philosophies. The study was co-written with James Diefendorf, Burak Oc, Michael Daniels, Gary Greguras, and Michael Bashshur.  

The Nine Dimensions of Leader-Expressed Humility

Drawing on a comprehensive conceptual framework grounded in inductive research and informed by philosophical and ethical traditions, the study introduces two validated measurement tools: the 27-item Leader-Expressed Humility (LEH) scale and the concise 9-item Brief LEH scale.  

These scales measure nine distinct behaviors of humble leaders:

1. Accurate Self-View Research reveals that 80% of leaders believe they’re humble, while only 36% of employees agree—demonstrating that most leaders lack accurate self-perception. “Many people think they understand themselves, but that is often not the case,” noted Dr. Kraivin.
2. Recognizing Follower Strengths and Achievements Humble leaders acknowledge their employees’ contributions and understand that team success is collective, not individual. They actively identify and uplift the strengths of team members, and don’t focus on their weaknesses.
3. Modeling Teachability and Openness to Correction Humble leaders remain open to feedback and embrace continuous learning.
4. Leading by Example Humble leaders don’t position themselves as the center of attention. They “walk the talk,” personally engaging in the behaviors they expect from their teams.
5. Showing Modesty These leaders maintain low ego and sense of entitlement, willingly stepping back to allow followers to shine and receive credit for their contributions. Dr. Kraivin emphasized: “Humble leaders understand their strengths and weaknesses. They see themselves as they are—not bigger, not smaller—which creates strong motivation to learn and grow.”
6. Working for the Collective Good Humble leaders understand their role as part of a team working toward shared goals rather than personal advancement.
7. Demonstrating Empathy and Approachability Humble leaders genuinely care about their team members and listen attentively. This other-focused orientation makes them more approachable and enables them to understand followers’ perspectives.
8. Showing Mutual Respect and Fairness By not viewing themselves as inherently more important, humble leaders treat all team members with dignity and fairness, regardless of position or status.
9. Mentoring and Coaching Humble leaders invest in developing their followers through active mentoring and coaching—a behavior notably absent in non-humble leaders.

Key Research Questions and Findings

The study investigated whether leader humility explains leadership effectiveness beyond leader integrity, with the ultimate goal of developing interventions for non-humble leaders. Major Findings: Leader humility predicts leadership effectiveness above and beyond leader integrity (characterized by “walking the talk”). Specifically, humble leadership predicts crucial outcomes, including job performance, leader likability, and trustworthiness, even more strongly than integrity alone. “When leaders act with integrity, they “’walk the walk, talk the talk,” that leads to better job performance, liking the leader, trusting the leader. But when they also demonstrate humbleness, those perceptions and functionality increase even more,” explained Dr. Kraivin.  

Research Validation and Impact

Through studies conducted in Singapore and the United States, the research demonstrated that the LEH scales strongly correlate with established leader humility measures while providing richer dimensional detail. In addition, the findings confirm that leader-expressed humility significantly contributes to leadership performance, trustworthiness, and likability.  

Practical Applications for Organizations

Managerial Implications: This research provides organizations with diagnostic and developmental tools for cultivating leadership humility. The LEH and Brief LEH scales enable organizations to:

• Identify competent leaders who demonstrate humble leadership qualities
• Assess specific strengths and gaps across the nine humility dimensions
• Design targeted training programs to improve humility among leaders
• Develop coaching interventions focused on areas such as mentoring, fairness, and empathy

By focusing on these dimensions, organizations can more effectively develop leaders who foster ethical conduct, psychological safety, and high-trust relationships—ultimately building stronger workplaces aligned with organizational values.  

Future Research Directions

Dr. Kraivin’s ongoing work explores how humble behaviors like showing empathy and acknowledging limitations humanize leaders in high-power roles, fostering healthier leader-follower relationships. Additional research investigates how targeted developmental interventions can strengthen specific humility dimensions and how these improvements influence overall leadership effectiveness.