Humbitious Leadership

The term ‘humbitious’ arose out of humility and ambition. Humility is about not putting oneself on a pedestal and acknowledging that no one is inferior. In leadership, it is about recognizing the importance of newer ideas and allowing them to breathe. Humbitious leadership is about admitting to errors and seeking feedback from employees or followers; recognizing that a superior idea is always lurking somewhere and encouraging staff to bring it up on a frequent basis. It is a collaborative endeavor in which everyone’s opinions are taken into account and everyone is given the chance to share their viewpoint. It recognizes that no single individual can know everything and that an organization’s employees must be given consideration for it to prosper. And thus a pleasant working environment is formed in which employees feel valued by their leaders/managers, which also motivates them to do better or come up with new ideas for the organization’s effective working. 

Humility is one of the most effective ways of creating a healthy environment and a stronger team; it entails extending a helpful hand and having no reluctance in asking for the same. It lowers the stress level and allows a free flow of information, ideas, and feedback between managers and employees in an organization, also, in turn, increasing the team spirit. 

Gurucool, a Delhi-based ed-tech firm recognises the same and through its Humbitious leadership has created a healthy working environment for its employees. 

Following are the characteristics of leaders at Gurucool which makes them  Humbitious: 

Flexible working hours- Almost all of the employees of GuruCool are students who have their own studies to attend to, Gurucool recognises their limitations and gives them ample time to complete their tasks that ensures they do not overwork or exhaust themselves.

Regular meetings- Regular meetings are held by its leaders to check the effective running of the organization and ensure that its members are not facing any issues on their part, and if they do, the leaders do everything they can to resolve their concerns. The regular meetings enable a smooth flow of feedback between the employees and the leaders, also providing a platform for staff to vent out and ease up a bit. 

Leaders open to communication- Open lines of communication between employees and leaders at all times (except obviously at night when it’s time to sleep) ensure they have a helping hand, and leaders’ empathetic gestures make it easier for the employees to approach. 

GuruFam- Gurucool’s leaders make sure their employees feel they are a part of the family, GuruFam as they call it, which provides them a sense of belonging, and makes working a pleasant experience. 

Gurucool presently has over 100 active interns and members, and it hires three to four batches of interns each year.

Recognizes members’ efforts and talents- Gurucool’s executives also ensure that their employees’ efforts and abilities are recognized. They award those who work hard and efficiently with titles like star interns every month, which increases their self-esteem and motivates them to do even better. 

Space for growth- It distributes the responsibilities amongst its members, and motivates them to act as leaders which helps them in identifying their strengths and limitations,  as well as, provides them with spaces to address and overcome such limitations. 

Field outings- It is important for your mental health to take breaks and get out for exposures. Keeping this in mind, GuruCool’s administrators also organized picnics for its members’ refreshment and to strengthen the community by fostering stronger relationships among coworkers through interaction. 

The main idea behind Humbitious leadership is the collective working for the greater good rather than personal gain and Gurucool is indubitably working towards achieving the same.