Why Can’t Quiet Be Powerful?: A Guest Post
THIS WEEK I WANT TO SHARE A GUEST POST FROM MIBE TRIBE AND FOOTERS TEAM MEMBER, COLLEEN HARTIGAN. SHE CAME UP WITH AN AWESOME LEADERSHIP ANGLE THAT INSPIRED ME. I ADMIRE HER COURAGE IN WRITING THIS AND SHARING HER WISDOM WITH ALL OF YOU. ENJOY!
When I think of the word “leader”, I think of a loud, roaring voice that commands respect from the room it is speaking in. I see it as someone who grabs the attention of others by sharing their opinions boisterously and with pride. Because of this association, I have struggled with seeing myself as a true leader because I’m not typically a loud person. I tend to wait to speak until I’ve been called upon, and I rarely find myself interrupting others to make sure my opinion gets heard. While I don’t see this as a bad thing, I think it can sometimes be misconstrued as poor leadership. For a long time, I had resisted the thought of myself being a leader and it was frustrating.
While I don’t classify myself as shy, I do find myself being drawn to the deeper meaning of things rather than having success in times of stimulation and chaos. I struggled with finding my leadership style to be effective because so many of my teammates and well-known leaders thrive on tackling assignments quickly, enjoying the thrill of the chase, and plunging headfirst into events around them. I knew that wasn’t my leadership style, but I couldn’t seem to define what it was either.
During the pandemic, a friend recommended I read Susan Cain’s “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking”, and when I did the lightbulb finally clicked. Turns out I’m not a bad leader, I’m just an introverted one.
It was fitting that I write this guest post this week because December 1st marked the 65th year of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. She has since inspired me and my leadership style because she was known to be a quiet, yet courageous leader. She arguably shaped the course of American history using a single word, “No”. Her peaceful protest sparked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement and allowed others to have the courage to stand up to their oppressors. When she died, people at her vigil described her as “timid and shy” yet had the “courage of a lion”. This got me thinking, “why can’t quiet be strong? Why have I always associated being loud as being powerful?”.
Turns out there are plenty of other leaders who were deemed as being powerful, yet they struggled to speak clearly and loudly. Moses had a stutter, but people followed him because his words were thoughtful and had meaning, not because he spoke them well. Albert Einstein didn’t believe in teamwork, and he often can be found quoted, “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” He believed in leading a quiet life of solitude, and he was very comfortable with it.
As a society, we tend to disregard those who speak slowly, or don’t speak up at all, when they may have a better idea than those who enthusiastically share their opinions. This is certainly true in the hospitality industry where most of us tend to live a busy, hustle and bustle type of lifestyle and we tend to gravitate towards action. Because of that, it was a challenge for me to feel like I fit in a world where I thought being loud made you successful.
As I have learned more about the introverted leader, I am proud to be in the category with so many other successful individuals. I learned that being comfortable with solitude isn’t a negative thing, it’s just how I recharge my batteries. I learned that because I prefer listening over talking, it helps me understand all sides of an issue or topic that others may overlook.
So to all of you out there who may be questioning if you’re a great leader, to those who sometimes feel like you’re in the shadow of a louder voice, and to those who can’t seem to define their leadership style, hopefully I’ve inspired you to understand that introverts are just as powerful of a leader as anyone else and that your voice, no matter how shaky or quiet it is, is strong and has meaning.