The Humility Premium: How Asking “Why?” Protects Your Reputation (Even If You’re Under-Qualified)
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For followers, a leader asking “humble questions” simultaneously signals low competence (a penalty) and high humility (a premium). Competence penalties occur only when the leader’s capability is already doubted. Humility premiums occur whether or not the leader’s humility is in doubt, and will override the negative impact of competence premiums. Bottom line: asking questions is generally beneficial for leader effectiveness.
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