To help identify what true humility looks like (and how one can successfully adopt greater humility for success. After all, who doesn’t need greater humility?), below are fourteen habits of humble people: 

Humble People are Slow to Anger 

Humble people are generally slow to anger, they avoid strife and confusion- apologizes when wrong without allowing others to mistreat it.  

Humble People are Situationally Aware 

Situational awareness is a function of emotional intelligence as it is being aware of oneself, the group, the actions of each and the social dynamics therein. As such, situationally aware people aim their focus outward as they try to absorb  more about the situation 

Humble People Retain Relationships 

Humble people are more likely to help friends than their prideful counterparts. As a result, they maintain stronger personal and professional relationships. Humble people in leadership positions have been shown to have a more engaged workforce and less employee turnover. 

Humble People Make Difficult Decisions with Ease 

Since humble people put others’ needs before their own, when faced with difficult decisions they respect the moral and ethical boundaries that govern the decision and base their decision-making criteria off a sense of shared purpose rather than self-interest. 

Humble People Put Others First 

Humble people know their self-worth. As a result, they don’t feel the need to cast themselves before others just to show them how much they know. Instead, humble people realize that nobody cares how much they know until those people know how much they’re cared for. 

Humble People Listen 

Humble people listen to others before summarizing the conversation. Moreover, humble people don’t try to dominate a conversation or talk over people. They’re eager to understand others because they’re curious. Speaking of which. 

Humble People are Curious 

Humble people seek knowledge because they are perpetual learners and realize that they don’t have all the answers. They glean knowledge from the experiences of others and crave more opportunities to learn. 

Humble People Speak Their Minds 

While active listening is certainly important, humble people aren’t afraid to speak their minds because being wrong is not a fear they have. They know that to bridge the gap between unwillingness and willingness there must be action; they summon the courage to face difficulty as they graciously accept to sacrifice themselves. 

Humble People Take Time To Say “Thank You” 

At a business dinner, for example, no matter whether you’re engaged in a heated conversation with others or not, humble people take the time to express thanks to the service for tending to the little things. 

Humble People Have An Abundance Mentality 

Humble people don’t believe that one person’s “win” necessarily mean another person’s “loss.” Instead, they know there’s plenty of opportunity to go around and that finding it just necessitates collaboration and communication. 

Humble People Start Sentences With “You” Rather Than “I” 

Humble people put others at the forefront of their thoughts. Humble people brag about others, while the prideful people brag about themselves. 

Humble People Accept Feedback 

Humble people are not only receptive to constructive criticism but actively seek it because they know that feedback is a pathway to improvement. 

Humble People Assume Responsibility 

Rather than eschewing blame on “the system” or the behaviors of others, humble people assume responsibility by speaking up and owning their part. 

Humble People Ask For Help 

Part of being humble means realizing that you don’t have all the answers. No one does. Humble people acknowledge what they do and do not know and enlist help for the latter. Humility displays a willingness to learn and become better–two things that everybody should cultivate.