The Buffalo Leader Masters Radical Humility in the Storm

This article is adapted from Ted's podcast episode 343: A Conversation with Urs Koenig (Author: Radical Humility)

Hey leaders, let me tell you about something that's been rattling around in my mind lately - the concept of radical humility in leadership. But first, I want to start with a story that might seem unrelated (stick with me).

Picture a buffalo standing in the middle of a prairie storm. While other animals scatter and seek shelter, the buffalo plants its feet, lowers its massive head, and faces the storm head-on. It doesn't flee from the harsh winds or driving rain. Instead, it endures with quiet strength, weathering whatever nature throws at it.

That's the image I want you to hold as we explore what it means to be a radically humble leader - someone who can face the storms of leadership with both strength and grace.

The Buffalo Mindset: Strength Through Vulnerability

Recently, I've been studying the work of leaders like Urs Koenig, whose experiences from athletics to peacekeeping missions have shaped a unique perspective on leadership. His concept of "tough on results, tender on people" resonates deeply with what I call the Buffalo Leader mindset.

Here's what struck me: Just like that buffalo in the storm, the most effective leaders I've encountered don't try to control everything around them. Instead, they focus on controlling their response - their stance, their perspective, their commitment to their team.

Let me share a personal story that illustrates this. A few years back, I was working with a team facing what seemed like an impossible deadline. The pressure was mounting, tensions were high, and frankly, I could feel my own stress levels creeping into dangerous territory. My first instinct was to crack the whip - to demand more hours, more effort, more everything.

But then I remembered the buffalo. Instead of charging forward with demands, I took a different approach. I called the team together and did something that felt risky at the time - I admitted I was struggling, too. I acknowledged the pressure we were all feeling and asked a simple question: "What do you need from me to make this work?"

The shift in the room was palpable. Instead of defensive postures and stressed-out faces, I saw relief. People started sharing not just their challenges, but their ideas for solutions. That moment taught me something profound about radical humility - it's not about being soft or lowering standards. It's about creating space for excellence to emerge.

The Delicate Dance: High Standards Meet Deep Empathy

This brings us to one of the most challenging aspects of radically humble leadership - balancing those high-performance standards with genuine empathy. It's like being a conductor of an orchestra where every musician is playing a different piece, yet somehow you need to create harmony.

The key insight here is understanding that empathy isn't the enemy of excellence - it's the catalyst for it. When your team members feel truly seen and understood, they don't just perform better; they innovate better, they collaborate better, they show up better.

Think about it this way: Have you ever noticed how a buffalo moves through a herd? It's not pushing and shoving its way to the front. There's a quiet authority there, a presence that commands respect without demanding it. That's what empathetic leadership looks like in practice.

I remember working with a team member who was consistently missing deadlines. The old me might have launched into a performance improvement conversation focused solely on the metrics. But the buffalo approach meant digging deeper. What I discovered was that this person was dealing with a sick parent at home and was too proud to ask for help or adjustments.

By leading with curiosity instead of judgment, we were able to create a solution that not only got the work done but actually strengthened our relationship and the team's trust in our leadership culture.

Building the Foundation: Trust as Your North Star

Here's something I've learned about trust - it's not built in the big moments. It's built on the small, consistent interactions that happen every single day. Like a buffalo that moves with steady, deliberate steps across the prairie, trust is built through consistent, authentic action.

The leaders who embrace radical humility understand that their role isn't just to give directives from on high. They're relationship builders, culture creators, and trust cultivators. They know their team members not just as employees, but as human beings with dreams, fears, strengths, and areas for growth.

Let me challenge you with something: When was the last time you had a conversation with a team member that had nothing to do with work deliverables? When did you last ask someone about their aspirations, their challenges, or simply how they're doing as a person?

These aren't soft skills - they're core leadership competencies. Because here's the truth: people don't just work for companies or even for paychecks. They work for leaders who make them feel valued, understood, and empowered to do their best work.

The Power of "I Don't Know"

One of the most counterintuitive aspects of radical humility is the power that comes from admitting what you don't know. In our achievement-oriented culture, we often think leadership means having all the answers. But the buffalo doesn't pretend to control the weather - it simply positions itself to weather whatever comes.

I learned this lesson the hard way during a major strategic pivot at a company I was leading. I spent weeks trying to figure out the perfect solution on my own, convinced that admitting uncertainty would undermine my credibility. Finally, exhausted and no closer to a breakthrough, I brought the challenge to my team.

"I'll be honest with you," I said. "I don't have this figured out yet. But I believe we can figure it out together."

What happened next was remarkable. The team didn't lose confidence in my leadership - they gained confidence in the process. Ideas started flowing, diverse perspectives emerged, and within days, we had not just a solution, but a better solution than I could have developed alone.

That's the paradox of radical humility - by admitting our limitations, we actually expand our capabilities.

Tough on Results, Tender on People: The Implementation

Urs Koenig's principle of being "tough on results, tender on people" isn't just a catchy phrase - it's a practical framework for daily leadership. But implementing it requires a fundamental shift in how we think about accountability.

Being tough on results means setting clear, ambitious goals and maintaining an unwavering commitment to achieving them. It means having difficult conversations when standards aren't met and making hard decisions when necessary. But here's the crucial part - it's not tough on people.

Being tender on people means recognizing that behind every missed deadline, every mistake, every moment of struggle, there's a human being who's trying their best with the resources and understanding they have. It means leading with compassion while still maintaining high expectations.

Picture this in action: A team member misses an important deadline. The tough-on-results response addresses the impact clearly and directly. The tender-on-people response explores what led to the miss and what support might prevent it in the future. Both happen in the same conversation, with the same person, driven by the same commitment to excellence.

This isn't about being lenient or lowering standards. It's about creating an environment where people feel safe to stretch toward those high standards, knowing that if they stumble, they'll be met with support and guidance rather than punishment and shame.

The Ripple Effect: Creating Cultures of Excellence

Here's what I've observed about radically humble leaders - they don't just achieve results, they create cultures that consistently produce excellent results. Like a buffalo that influences the movement of the entire herd, these leaders shape the environment around them in ways that elevate everyone's performance.

When team members feel genuinely valued and understood, something remarkable happens. They stop just doing their jobs and start caring about the outcomes. They move from compliance to commitment, from task completion to innovation.

I've seen teams transform when their leaders embrace this approach. Meetings become more collaborative. Problem-solving becomes more creative. People start bringing solutions instead of just problems. The entire dynamic shifts from "How do I avoid getting in trouble?" to "How can we make this even better?"

Sustaining Success: The Long Game

The beautiful thing about radical humility is that it's sustainable in a way that command-and-control leadership simply isn't. When you're constantly pushing people, eventually they push back or burn out. But when you create an environment where people are pulling toward shared goals, the momentum becomes self-sustaining.

Think of it like the difference between dragging a heavy load uphill versus creating a downhill path where momentum works in your favor. Radically humble leaders spend their energy creating the conditions for success rather than forcing it through sheer will.

This requires patience and faith - faith that people want to do good work, that they're capable of excellence, and that, given the right environment and support, they'll rise to meet high expectations.

Your Buffalo Moment: A Challenge for This Week

As we wrap up today's exploration, I want to leave you with a practical challenge. This week, I want you to identify one "storm" in your leadership - a difficult situation, a struggling team member, a persistent challenge - and approach it with the Buffalo Leader mindset.

Instead of charging in with solutions or demands, plant your feet, lower your head, and face it with both strength and humility. Ask yourself:

• What don't I know about this situation?
• How can I be tough on the results we need while being tender with the people involved?
• What would it look like to lead with curiosity instead of certainty?

Remember, leadership isn't about having all the answers or being the strongest person in the room. It's about creating an environment where the best answers can emerge and where people feel empowered to bring their full capabilities to the challenges you're facing together.

The buffalo doesn't control the storm, but it masters its response to the storm. That's the essence of radical humility in leadership - not controlling everything around you, but taking full responsibility for how you show up, how you respond, and how you create space for others to do their best work.

Stay strong, stay humble, and keep leading with both head and heart. Your team is counting on it, and the results will speak for themselves.

Until next time, keep facing the storms with buffalo strength and buffalo wisdom. The prairie may be vast and the weather unpredictable, but with the right stance and the right heart, there's no storm you and your team can't weather together.