Silent Leadership: What It Is, And Characteristics When Managing Teams
Leadership is a highly valued skill in certain sectors. However, this quality can take different forms.
One of them is known as silent leadership In the following lines we will try to delve deeper into this concept to know what makes it different from other forms of leadership, what positive characteristics it has compared to them and what its usefulness is for different positions.
In order to know everything about silent leadership, it is important to have a foundation about what leadership is. Is about a skill or rather a set of them, related to the ability to manage or direct other people, managing to influence their thoughts and behaviors
The leader is capable of generating enthusiasm and coordinating the efforts of a team towards a common goal, under his instructions. But not only that, a good leader must know when and how to delegate some of his functions, involving the rest of the group members. Being able to motivate others is another of his fundamental traits. Another way to define this profile would be to have the ability to socially influence others, convincing them to collaborate on a common project
Leadership has to do with a series of person traits, including intelligence and charisma. It is a skill in demand and almost required in some areas, since a leader is much more than a boss. The boss can limit himself to ordering, while the leader sets an example, motivates, involves others and turns them into a true team.
Characteristics of this type of leader
There are many classifications of leader types. Without going into describing them, we must know that one of these types is precisely silent leadership. Traditionally, when thinking about a leader, we have tended to fall into the stereotype of a person brimming with energy, very charismatic, who quickly monopolizes the spotlight with his overwhelming personality, with which he gets everyone to follow him.
However, this is not the only leader profile that exists, and it does not have to be the most effective either. In contrast, silent leadership appears, which uses other different traits with which to achieve the same objective, but from an alternative path These characteristics may, perhaps, go unnoticed at first glance, but they are of vital importance for your work.
Let’s now review some of the most notable ones, although they are not the only ones we can find.
1. Active listening
People who stand out in this field have skills such as great listening skills, because to lead it is important to know how to transmit the message, but it is also important to know how to receive it, and A group of people who feel listened to and understood by their leader will surely tend to be more motivated
Active listening also allows the leader to have all the information about what is happening in the work environment and more specifically in their team. In this way, you can anticipate possible problems that may arise, solving them at an early stage or even before they hatch.
Therefore, active listening, as opposed to verbiage or even glibness, is a characteristic of silent leadership, putting more weight on the information that can be received versus that which can be issued.
That does not mean that this type of leader does not speak or try to communicate, because obviously he also does so, but in a simpler and more pragmatic way, as characterizes him and as we will see in other characteristics.
2. Humility
Humility is another of the fundamental traits of silent leadership. In the stereotype of the leader that we mentioned before, some of the hallmarks of that profile were prominence, a striking personality, and in some cases even narcissism and the desire to be the center of attention and the figure that everyone desires. continue.
On the contrary, The silent leader does not fit that description, but rather he generates his leadership from a much more humble position, becoming part of the group and even diluting himself among the team members, giving them the spotlight while he remains in a discreet background.
That humility and preference for simplicity are maintained even when their good work leads the group to achieve its objectives and others want to recognize said work. He would prefer that the members of his team be the ones to enjoy and enjoy that recognition.
3. Empathy
Silent leadership has more characteristics. Another of them is empathy. We already anticipated that this type of leader prefers listening to speaking, but behind that listening this other quality is hidden, which It allows you to put yourself in the shoes of your neighbor and try to feel what he is feeling, for maximum understanding of the message he is transmitting
This deepening of the feelings of others, in this case of the members of his team, allows him to know at all times what state they are in and act accordingly to ensure that the people who work under his command have maximum well-being, knowing that their leader is going to be there when they need him.
Empathy humanizes the leader and makes others perceive him at the same level, not from a hierarchical perspective but from a camaraderie perspective. This closeness and warmth results in an increase in motivation for all of them, because they know that their manager understands them and is by their side
4. Pragmatism
The person who excels at silent leadership is also characterized by pragmatism. This means that he tries to carry out simple behaviors that are directly aimed at the needs of the team and the project, without having any pretensions beyond that.
This is another of the marks of simplicity of this type of leaders, who do not need that protagonism that we talked about previously and therefore do not see the usefulness of extravagant or dramatic behaviors. What they do, they do it because it directs them towards the goal they pursue in a direct way, or at least brings them closer to it, not for any other reason
This pragmatism turns the silent leader into an example of effectiveness who, with the fewest possible resources, manages to achieve the objectives expected of him.
Distinctive traits such as calmness also appear in silent leadership. These leaders have the ability to not get upset even under high-pressure conditions, remaining stoic and transmitting that state to their subordinates who will work with the confidence that their manager gives them.
From calmness, the leader will be able to make more objective decisions, without falling into impulsiveness, and therefore running less risk of making mistakes by rushing into an option that perhaps was not the most correct, due to pressure.
This tranquility is a trait especially valued in sectors where stress and hurry reign, as it represents a pillar where all the members of the group can rely on to have a stability that is not abundant.
6. Reflexivity
Together with calm, reflexivity appears, another of the characteristics that are included in silent leadership. And it is that It is not enough to not succumb to panic and stress, but it is necessary to know how to reflect appropriately during that time in order to reach the conclusion of what is the smartest step one should take.
A silent leader is precisely silent, because he must be reflective. This ability to evaluate alternatives and know which one to choose is one of the skills of this profile. Furthermore, his decisions will be pragmatic, as we have already seen. Therefore, this type of leader will consider the steps that both he and his team are going to take, choosing with prudence and wisdom.
Summary
It is interesting to analyze the interconnection between all these skills. Some of them have been mentioned explicitly, but the truth is that there are many other relationships, such as the one that can occur between active listening, reflection on the matter and empathy.
The sum of all these qualities, and others that have been left out of this list but are equally important, is what gives value to silent leadership.
