Humility is making a significant comeback in business and in leadership. A few months ago, an article published in the Wall Street Journal claimed that “the best bosses are humble bosses,” while Harvard Business Review has published several articles highlighting the importance of humility in leadership. Moreover, numerous research studies have documented that when organizational leaders demonstrate humility, employees feel more empowered, are less likely to leave the organization, and perform better individually and in teams. Overall, research evidence suggests high-performing leaders are “humbitious,” i.e., they combine humility and ambition.

However, some early careerists push back at the idea of humility. They argue that most of the evidence on humility comes from studies done at high executive levels. They reason that “it is much easier to demonstrate humility when you have already achieved a high level,” and ask, “Can you really be as humble as a junior leader and still receive recognition and promotions?”

It is true that the majority of the evidence on humility comes from studies done at the highest executive levels. For example, Jim Collins’ famous study of “Level-5 leaders,” who combine humility with fierce drive, focused exclusively on leaders who were already CEOs as they transformed their organizations from good to great performance. Early careerists have a point—there is a need to better examine the traits and behaviors of leaders before they actually achieve success and to examine more clearly how they can balance humility and confidence early on in their careers.

Some early careerists believe that humility may be incompatible with their efforts to showcase their talents, project executive presence, garner attention from senior executives, and prove their strengths and value to the organization in order to be recognized and promoted.

It is important to remember, however, that the prerequisites to humility are work ethic and technical competence. In short, you have to work very hard, and you have to know your stuff. The reputation that you should strive for is that of a thoughtful and hardworking young leader who speaks up when appropriate. For example, if you have been working on a business case for a new urgent care center for months and you have the knowledge to explain how it will affect downstream referrals and the continuum of care, you should project confidence and speak up when given the opportunity. In brief, there is no humility without competence, and with competence comes confidence.

As an early careerist, you are entitled to make some mistakes and admit your ignorance on some topics, but that should not be a regular occurrence. Once you convince others that you are putting in the required efforts and that you know what you are supposed to know, then it is okay to humbly admit mistakes when they inevitably happen and to say that “I don’t know, but I will find out” when an unfamiliar topic is brought up. You have to know what you don’t know and take the necessary time to ask others and learn on your own. When others see that you are humble enough to work hard and ask questions, they are more willing to give you the benefit of the doubt after a mistake and or misstep.

Marc Strode, a great mid-career leader and the CEO of Methodist Stone Oak Hospital in San Antonio, has advice for early careerists trying to balance humility with being noticed and chosen for promotion and career development: “My approach is to build the relationships first, which leads to opportunities for advancement,” he said. “If you don’t do that, you start to press, you ask, ‘how do I make my mark?’ Instead, you should start by getting to know the organization, the people. And you say to yourself: ‘I will learn first by listening and observing others, showing respect to the team.’”

In summary, to balance humility with confidence as an early careerist, remember to:

•  Work hard to improve your technical knowledge and skills.
• Speak up when you have the knowledge, and show the value that you bring to the organization.
• Perform regular self-assessment to understand your strengths and weaknesses.
• Ask for feedback periodically, and make adjustments based on this feedback.
• Be transparent and have the courage to say “I don’t know.”
• Be willing to admit your mistakes, take ownership and apologize.

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Dr. Amer Kaissi is a Professional Speaker, Executive Coach and an expert on Leadership, Humility & Ambition, Assuming Positive Intent, Psychological Safety & Accountability, Growth Mindsets & Resilience. He is the author of five books.