Business|11-04-2025

Does humility pay off in your career?

A study examined whether humility has a positive impact on individual job performance and promotability. The researchers explored advice network centrality and leader–member exchange (LMX) as mediating variables. What did they find?

Humility is based on the recognition that there are things greater than ourselves, that all people share equal dignity, and that we are all subject to limitations — both mental and physical. Humble individuals are able to realistically assess their own strengths and weaknesses and present themselves accordingly. In short: more substance than show.

Is a humble demeanor beneficial for employees? Li et al. (2021), from universities in Japan, China, and the United States, addressed this question — and the answer is a clear yes. Humility benefits both job performance and promotability. These effects are indirect and can be explained through two mediating mechanisms.

The first is Employee Advice Network Centrality, which indicates how often colleagues seek advice from a particular employee. A humble person with a central position in this advice network is consulted frequently by coworkers. Because social relationships are often based on reciprocity, such individuals gain access to more resources (e.g., knowledge and support), which can help improve their own job performance. Their elevated informal status is noticed not only by colleagues but also by supervisors — increasing the likelihood of promotion.

The second mediating variable is Leader–Member Exchange (LMX), which reflects the quality of the relationship between an employee and their supervisor. Humility enhances this relationship quality and thereby promotes career advancement. However, a direct statistical link between LMX and improved performance was not found.

The Bottom Line

A humble attitude pays off — both in the short term (by improving performance) and in the long term (by increasing promotability). However, humility should not be misunderstood as keeping your accomplishments entirely to yourself. It means refraining from excessive self-promotion and avoiding taking credit for others’ work. Colleagues and supervisors should, of course, be aware of your achievements — but conveyed in a modest way, and ideally not always from your own mouth.

The study was published in Human Resource Management, one of the journals included on the FT50 list, which recognizes the 50 most prestigious management journals worldwide.

Reference

Li, R., Zhang, H., Zhu, X., & Li, N. (2021). Does employee humility foster performance and promotability? Exploring the mechanisms of LMX and peer network centrality in China. Human Resource Management, 60(3), 399–413. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22025