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On Quiet Leadership

/ 1 min read

the best quiet leaders think in terms of leaderships (plural) rather than leadership (singular). The strong, silent, lone-ranger-style leader might win our awe by their talent and ability, but when you are built like Myrtle, you know that only a team effort will get you across the line.

From The Tortoise Usually Wins: Biblical Reflections on Quiet Leadership for Reluctant Leaders by Brian Harris

While this is a book geared towards leadership in church & ministry settings, I think this idea of leadership as plural has much further reaching implications. I think one of the things we got wrong in western spaces is the deeply rooted individualism that leads to Lone Ranger leaders who often cause more problems than not. A plurality of leaders or polycentric structures allow for greater depth in strategy and decision making while also facilitating wider community involvement. 

It is worth saying though that just as not all “Lone Ranger” types are bad, not all leaderships are good. I just think there is greater accountability and less opportunity for abuse in these plural structures.