Leading with humility: unpacking employee career adaptability

Humble leadership and internal talent management are both significant areas of interest in management research. Yet, little is known about their combined association with employee career adaptability, a key resource in an increasingly competitive human capital landscape. Using social exchange theory, we study the mediating roles of leader-member exchange (LMX) and mentoring in the relationship between leader-expressed humility and employee career adaptability, and the moderating impact of internal talent mobility programs (ITM).

Data were collected from 178 employees across organizations in the U.S.

Results showed that leader humility was positively related to LMX and mentoring, and mentoring was positively associated with employee career adaptability. Our analysis revealed a marginal moderating impact of ITM, suggesting that a comprehensive ITM platform may amplify the positive association between mentoring and employee career adaptability.

Theoretically, we advance the humble leadership literature by positioning supervisory mentoring as the mechanism translating leader-expressed humility into career adaptability. Practically, results highlight the necessity for organizations to elevate talent management and internal mobility as strategic priorities to build resilient talent pipelines. Ultimately, this research underscores that employee adaptability is not solely an individual capability, but is relationally and contextually shaped within the organizational environment.