Ex-CEO and Harvard expert reveals no. 1 trait bosses look for to promote employees

A study recently published in Human Resource Management, found that employees' humility is directly related to their chances of being promoted.

Sometimes exceeding your goals may not be enough to secure a promotion, you also need a great attitude, believes Harvard Business School executive fellow Bill George. Speaking to CNBC, the former CEO opened up about the kind of traits bosses would look for in employees they want to promote.

People who “focus on doing an outstanding job in leading [their] team” are in the “best” position to get promoted, George, the former head of health care company Medtronic, said. He added that employees that their managers tend to see as worth promoting don’t just boss their colleagues around. Instead, they are excellent at building trust with the people around them, "which requires a certain amount of self-awareness to achieve".

“Many people do not know who they are,” George wrote in his book True North: Emerging Leader Edition. “They are so focused on trying to impress others that they let the world shape them rather than shaping themselves into the kind of leaders they want to be.” He added that the more self-aware an employee is, the more “your leadership will be authentic and people will naturally want to associate with you.”

Meanwhile, a study recently published in Human Resource Management, found that employees' humility is directly related to their chances of being promoted. The researchers defined humility as a leader’s “willingness to view themselves accurately, admit mistakes, appreciate others’ strengths and contributions, and demonstrate teachability.”

“Although some lay theories of leader humility suggest humble leaders are ‘weak’ . . . humble leaders may actually be seen as courageous in the sense that they are willing to vulnerably expose their shortcomings in mentoring relationships, and thereby ultimately enhance their status and promotability,” the researchers were quoted by Fast Company as saying.

Interestingly, a 2023 study from researchers at University College London also had similar findings. Workers with traits like cooperation, humility, and altruism contribute to team performance and are more likely to be considered for a promotion than those with a "shark-like demeanor", Fortune reported.