Blog - Quietly Powerful

There are multiplying costs to undervaluing Quietly Powerful leadership

11 March 2025
by megumimiki1

There is a multiplying cost to organisations, when they undervalue Quietly Powerful leadership.

I continue to hear from people in organisations that there is a bias towards more outspoken, confident appearing styles as what’s needed to be promoted into leadership.

The obvious cost of this bias is that quieter professionals are overlooked for leadership positions, even if they have the potential for leadership. This is the gap between leadership emergence and leadership effectiveness (to read more, read this article).

Diversity and Inclusion

Sadly, there is still a stigma for being quiet

4 March 2025
by megumimiki1

I wish I didn’t have to share this lesson 8 years after starting Quietly Powerful.

It has also been 12 years since Susan Cain‘s book, “Quiet”, and her TED talk went public, and there have been many other authors and coaches sharing ideas on quietness – whether it’s to do with introversion, cultural conditioning, power dynamics including silencing.

Despite all of this work, there still seems to be a stigma for being quiet. It’s a reality that can’t be ignored.

Conversation

Don’t assume that a person being quiet is an…

25 February 2025
by megumimiki1

If you assume that someone who is quiet is an introvert, you could completely miss the opportunity to create an environment where they can flourish and contribute their best. Of course, it is very possible that the person 𝘪𝘴 an introvert. But introverts are not always quiet, and not all quiet people are introverts! People can be quiet due to:

Diversity and Inclusion

We need to stop trying to ‘fix’ people who…

18 February 2025
by megumimiki1

If we want to advance DEI and lift the quality of leadership, we need to focus on upgrading the system, along with unlocking individual potential.

Maintaining the status quo and trying to integrate those who are not in the majority, is an easy trap to fall into. It is easier for the majority as they don’t have to do anything. However, the collective then misses out on growth and evolution.

Conversation

Do You Create Space to Think Before Hitting Crisis…

11 February 2025
by megumimiki1

A consistent theme we see in today’s fast-paced, high-pressure work environments, is leaders and teams reacting to challenges rather than proactively anticipating or addressing them.

Even as the year begins, we are hearing concerns about:

Surprise departures of key team members
People burning out without leaders noticing and realising
Individuals feeling alone in bearing heavy responsibilities and expectations
Tension within and across teams as heavy workloads and constant change mount
Change initiatives slowed down due to conflicting priorities between multiple initiatives
Risks not being addressed despite being raised several times

These are early signs that leaders and teams need to pause, take stock and have the important conversations, and not let them get lost in the prevailing busyness.

Leadership

What Messages Are People Receiving Through Your Leadership Behaviours?

4 February 2025
by megumimiki1

In my previous article, I shared that ‘Many of us underestimate what we are capable of.’ This talked about As leaders, we often focus on the words we say and the policies we put in place, believing they are sending the right messages needed to guide their teams. While words and policies are important, what many leaders forget is that they are constantly sending messages—24/7—through their behaviours, body language, and implicit actions. And here’s the kicker: it is not the leader who gets to interpret what these messages mean. It is the people around them who decide what story those behaviours tell.

Messages received is what matters.

Conversation

“Just be yourself” is not helpful

28 January 2025
by megumimiki1

In my previous article, I shared that ‘Many of us underestimate what we are capable of.’ This talked about the ‘competence gap’ and how for many people, their level of confidence is below their level of competence.

Part of the reason why we underestimate ourselves is we often hear the comment: “Just be yourself.”

While this may sound good and helpful, it may hold you back from becoming who you could be. My feedback to people is to be yourself AND who you are becoming.

Confidence

Over- and under-estimating what we are capable of

14 January 2025
by megumimiki1

I often quote Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic‘s reference to a study that shows the overlap between confidence and competence is a mere 9%. There are two sides to this mismatch, or ‘competence gap’:

Confidence > Competence (overconfidence)

Confidence < Competence (under-confidence)

Leadership

Labelling Divides, Listening Builds Bridges

5 November 2024
by megumimiki1

Have you noticed how much and how often we label others?

It is easier to place people in neat categories—labels that we believe define others’ values, intentions, or intelligence. Whether it’s generational terms like “Boomer” and “Gen Z,” political identities like “right-wing” and “woke”, gender, race, personalities, religion, or even viewpoints on contentious topics like vaccines or reproductive rights, labels serve as quick identifiers.

Conversation

True Humility: A Sign of Self-Esteem

29 October 2024
by megumimiki1

In a world where assertiveness and charisma are still seen as prerequisites for success, humility might seem like a weakness. But true humility is far from self-effacing or submissive; it is, in fact, a profound demonstration of self-esteem. Having interviewed 50+ successful Quietly Powerful leaders, humility stands out as one of their leadership strengths.