Quiet Leaders listen, consider, reflect. That doesn’t mean they’re not engaged. As Stephen Hawking said, “Quiet people have the loudest minds.” Toward the end of a webinar, the leader asked “What questions do you have?” to the group of more than 100 participants. Crickets. She allowed silence to reign for a bit, then asked again, “What questions do you
When asked what is a Quiet Leader, I typically say “Every Quiet Leader is unique, just as you are unique.” Quiet Leaders (QLs) have different styles, personalities, points of view, strengths, interests, levels of outgoingness. Many are reflective, thoughtful before they speak. Others are outgoing, spontaneous. But all QLs have one thing in common: the
“If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Henry Ford said it and it’s still true today.
An old story with a current message: Having dirt dumped on you can get you out of a tight spot. A farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The farmer did everything he could to figure out how to lift it out, but there was no way. The donkey was down too deep and his equipment was unable to lift that much weight.
“There is no such thing as a pure introvert or extrovert. Such a person would be in the lunatic asylum.” Carl Jung I continue to meet introverts who extrovert themselves to thrive in their workplace. These Quiet Leaders (QLs) are quiet at their core, yet speak up, take action, successfully lead teams and
When I was in Beijing last month, the participants in my program (all women) had the opportunity to ask a panel of directors (all women) any questions they wanted that would be of value to the group. The group consisted of managers and high level individual contributors with potential to be future leaders at this
He hopped on one leg all the way to the water. With ease, strength, confidence. A friend at his side carried a surf board. Until they were knee high in the water. Then it was his.I was mesmerized by his hopping as my friend and I approached on our four-mile walk along the beach. We
I received three cents change yesterday — three of the shiniest pennies I’ve ever seen. Those three shiny pennies made me smile as they reminded me of my mastermind group. I love that group. Three director and associate director level women who have been meeting with me for over a year. One of my masterminders
Notice the spaces in this wall. Some might think it is flawed workmanship. Au contraire. The spaces between the boulders in this protective wall around Tokyo’s Imperial Palace are intentional to withstand earthquake tremors. Frequent occurrences, I understand, but hopefully not while I’m here! Let’s apply this concept to our lives. Building space into our daily patterns will strengthen us to withstand unexpected tremors and life quakes.
From the women I met in Norway last week to the men I met in Jamaica last month, they all had one thing In common: a desire to be their best self. Although different in age, type of organization, level of experience, they were similar at their core. We focused on what they could do to bring out