Stress and anxiety are prevalent problems at work, contributing to deficits in employee morale, well-being, turnover and productivity. One common cause is specific to the workplace: arrogant leadership.

Leadership affects employees’ stress and anxiety levels. What they say and do hugely influences their team’s physical and emotional well-being. And the more senior leaders are, the more people they are likely to influence — positively and negatively.

Unfortunately, too few recognize the power that comes from their position to impact the employees. Some are bullish in their leadership skills, creating a gap between their perceived and actual levels of expertise. This explains why even well-meaning bosses may unintentionally contribute to high anxiety levels in their employees and have an inadequate understanding to correct and improve their own behavior: If you think you are leading effectively, what is the point of changing?

Leaders must pay attention to how they act and communicate. This is considered worse during times of increased uncertainty, as we often look to leaders to guide us in the face of fear, to provide us with clarity and direction, and to give employees hope and optimism.

Leaders have a greater impact on their team than they may realize, especially when they are not aware and can even excuse it as a blind spot. If you are a leader that is negatively impacting the workplace, you can become a more effective leader.

It begins with humility, being authentic and approachable and it develops a deeper trust with your team.

Six humility traits that will change leadership style.

1. A leader committed to improving their behavior. With a healthy dose of intellectual curiosity, humble leaders are lifelong learners who believe their talents and abilities are part of their personal development program for the good of the organization and its employees. They apply this same belief to develop their employees into a unified team.
2. Humble leaders are not blind to other’s strengths. Beyond this, they appreciate other’s contributions. They seek to share the credit for successes and help their team members move forward in their contributions to the organization with the receiving the credit that goes along with the task.
3. Humble leaders are willing to accept criticism. They recognize that they might not always be right or have the market cornered on the best ideas. They are aware that they have intellectual biases in areas. They believe that innovative ideas come from everywhere, by soliciting and welcoming input from others.
4. Humble leaders know themselves well. They are accurate in their appraisal of their capabilities and shortcomings. Moreover, they are reflective and introspective, so they learn from both their professional and individual experiences.
5. Humble leaders foster well-being in the workplace. They actively build cultures where others feel valued, respected, and included and welcome different thinking. They care deeply about the quality of each person’s daily work experience.
6. Humble leaders build workers’ self-confidence. They believe in the capabilities of team members and celebrate each person’s ability to achieve goals. Because of their support, team members grow in trust, allowing them to deliver better results.

Retaining top performers and keeping them engaged in today’s economy is not a task for the faint-hearted. Humble leaders, because they excel in connecting when team members share innovative ideas, are far more likely to be accepting of people with different beliefs and are less defensive when others challenge their perspectives.

The benefits of building an organization with humble leaders are those who are excellent at bringing out the best in your employees. It strengthens the bond between your leaders and their teams, which is essential to producing and developing trust. Best of all, when teams view leaders as authentic and approachable, they are far more likely to step forward with ideas, as well as share concerns about what might not be going well, so issues can be addressed.

Proverbs 27:23 ‘You do well to know the condition of your flock and pay attending to your herds.”