SMP LeaderTalks

#123 | The quiet power of humility

SMP LeaderTalks

10. December 2025

Georgiy Michailov meets Dr. Franziska Frank

On success factors in leadership, crises as catalysts, and vanity.

1 h 3 Min

"Humility is the ego-free view from the balcony."

What sounds like a beautiful thought presents many managers with a real challenge. There is a fine line between confident demeanor and healthy self-restraint: those who do not know it are quickly perceived as insecure or submissive. But how can you lead powerfully and still remain humble? And why is humility more than ever a competitive advantage today?

"I firmly believe that those who are self-sufficient can also put themselves into perspective."

Dr. Franziska Frank has been researching humility as a leadership quality for years and has made it measurable both philosophically and scientifically. In conversation with Georgiy Michailov, she explains why humility is not a sign of weakness – but an expression of true strength. She also discusses how leaders can learn to navigate between self-awareness and overconfidence with a clear compass. In doing so, she dispels common myths and explains how humility can be cultivated. Georgiy Michailov and Dr. Franziska Frank also discuss the downsides of vanity, the difference between humility and false modesty, and the role of crises as catalysts for change.

*Video only in German

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