No matter how good you think you are as a leader, my goodness

Hear, O seekers of wisdom, the words of Jim Yong Kim, healer of nations and servant of humanity, who declared: “No matter how good you think you are as a leader, my goodness, the people around you will have all kinds of ideas for how you can get better. So for me, the most fundamental thing about leadership is to have the humility to continue to get feedback and to try to get better—because your job is to try to help everybody else get better.” In these words shines a truth both simple and profound: that the crown of leadership is not glory, but service; not pride, but humility.

Too often, men who ascend to power imagine themselves beyond correction. They close their ears, believing their wisdom sufficient, their vision complete. Yet Kim reminds us that the true test of greatness is not in knowing everything, but in remaining teachable. For even the greatest general needs scouts, even the wisest king needs counselors, and even the most seasoned leader must be corrected by those who walk beside him. Feedback is not humiliation, but refinement, a sharpening of the blade so that it may cut more cleanly.

History teaches us this lesson through the life of Abraham Lincoln. He surrounded himself with men who were not flatterers but challengers, critics, and rivals. His so-called “Team of Rivals” brought differing voices into his council, and though he often disagreed, he listened. It was through this openness that he refined his vision, navigated division, and preserved his nation. Lincoln understood, as Jim Yong Kim proclaims, that humility is the lifeblood of leadership. Without it, power decays into arrogance, and arrogance leads to ruin.

And consider the story of Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor of Rome. Though he commanded the mightiest empire of his age, in his Meditations he wrote constantly of his own flaws, his need for restraint, his dependence upon others for wisdom. He did not consider feedback beneath him, but essential to his soul. It was this humility that allowed him to govern with justice amid storms of war and plague. His example, like Kim’s, shows us that a leader who forgets to learn has already ceased to lead.

The meaning of this teaching is clear: leadership is not about lifting oneself, but about lifting others. To lift others, one must always be willing to grow. The proud leader, who believes himself complete, blinds his own vision and deafens his own ears. The humble leader, who welcomes correction, enlarges both his wisdom and his reach. For he knows his task is not self-perfection for its own sake, but the strengthening of all under his care.

The lesson, O listener, is this: never allow position or talent to harden your heart against feedback. No matter how skilled you are, no matter how high you rise, there will always be ways to improve. Seek out the voices of those around you—not only the loud and powerful, but also the quiet and overlooked—for often their wisdom cuts deepest. And remember always that your role as a leader is not to shine alone, but to light the path for others.

Practical action lies before you: welcome critique with gratitude; ask others where you may grow, and listen without defensiveness. Reflect often on your shortcomings and set your heart to change. Do not measure yourself only by your success, but by the success of those you guide. For the greatest leaders are remembered not for how high they stood, but for how many they lifted.

Thus remember Jim Yong Kim’s words: the essence of leadership is humility, the courage to keep learning, the willingness to seek feedback, and the devotion to make others greater. This is the path of the true leader—not to be perfect, but to grow; not to rule, but to serve; not to shine alone, but to help all rise together.