I’m a quiet leader. I don’t always have something profound to say right at the moment it seems to be asked of me. I do have things to say but it takes me a long time to process.

I often feel like I don’t fit in anywhere and have a lot of things to say that don’t really fit in neat boxes.

And what I mean by that is, I’m more interested in asking questions and listening than giving definitive answers.

Because, the truth is, I think everything is complex. In my 10 years of academic training in cultural anthropology that’s what it came down to:

listening, not judging, and seeing the complexity in things.

I’d like us to make space for a leadership that may look a little different than we may be used to.

Let’s ask questions about how we may continue to replicate and reinforce particular forms of leadership over others.

It feels very edgy to share this because, well, this isn’t really what’s so often thought of when the word “leader” comes up.

And I wonder if sometimes you may feel this way too? I wonder if you feel like you don’t fit in sometimes or if you feel quiet when it feels like you shouldn’t be, or have complex things to say, or simply questions with no place to ask them and no one to listen?

If you do, just know you’re not alone. There is a quiet leader over here that is waving hello and giving you a hug across the waters.

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