When talking about leadership, it is often associated with people who are extroverted or who constantly express their opinions in meetings; However, there are also leaders who exercise silent leadershipwho do not seek the spotlight, but rather the growth of others.
Although relating leadership to silence may be contradictory, the truth is that this type of boss who applies modesty, calm and confidenceare more common than you think, says Joseph L. Badaracco, professor of business ethics at Harvard Business School.
In this sense, bosses can also be discreet and effective, since they People appreciate when their bosses listen to them or help them improve, without the need to seek to be the protagonist. Also called “quiet leaders”, they break with the traditional idea of the noisy leader.
What do you need to be a silent leader?
Being a boss who does not seek prominence is not synonymous with low self-esteem or questioning your abilities, but rather prefers to focus on other objectives, as the momentum of his team.
Instead, it characterized by having sufficient emotional intelligencesince they are aware that what they do is for the good of their team and they can demonstrate their effectiveness with results.
“Silent leadership puts energy and focus on the result. It is characterized by self-knowledge, by being objective and clear, but always prioritizes the development of others,” says Esther Alvarado, consultant in organizational development, talent evaluation and emotional health.
Furthermore, they are closer to each member, because they consider that know the qualities and personality, Helps assign tasks. Meanwhile, they are also empathetic and humble.
People look for peace in a leader
In times where uncertainty and immediacy dominate every day, collaborators seek supportthe same thing that invisible leadership can provide. In addition, people appreciate the following four qualities of a leader, according to a Gallup study:
1. Hope: Employees want to feel good about their future, so when the person they trust shows them a positive path or clear directions, they feel motivated.
Because of this, six in ten people worldwide expect their leader to provide them with hope.
2. Trust: For people to trust their leader, honesty, respect and integrity are required. A practice that fosters trust is having individual conversations.
3. Compassion: Helps form psychological security and increase loyalty. So, compassion that goes beyond empathy avoids judging others and is a flexible person in the face of unforeseen events in his team.
According to Gallup, worldwide 7% of employees would like their leader to have compassionbut in Latin America the rate is 9 percent.
4. Stability: For quiet leadership to be effective, it must build a strong foundation of psychological safety, especially in times of uncertainty. Therefore, critical thinking and accountability provide this stability.
Small actions have big changes
Seeing silent leadership as the other side of the coin may be a mistake, since Joseph L. Badaracco points out that really all the leaders who have marked history performed works silently and with a lot of patience.
“I think most people need recognition. It’s a perfectly natural thing. I think if a person working with and through other people has made the world a better place or has avoided a problem for some organizationI am willing to call her a leader,” he commented during an interview for Harvard Business School.
An example of this was the feat of Rosa Parksan American civil rights activist, who, tired of racial discrimination, refused to give a seat on the bus to a Caucasian person.
This act caused the driver to call the police and Rosa Parks was arrested, but this was the beginning of a series of protests to demand equality and change laws.
In this sense, Rosa Parks’ action is part of silent leadership, because based on a personal action, she did not seek justice only for herself, but rather filled with firmness and determination to help more people.
