Recognizing quiet leadership potential

Certain personality traits and characteristics are associated with leadership potential. The dominant thinking is that extrovert or charismatic people make for strong leaders — and this is not something unique to the development sector, explained Girish Menon, chief executive of ActionAid UK. Menon’s team has been making a conscious effort to change perceptions of leadership and to recognize and nurture different forms of leadership potential. As a result, there has been more diversity in those applying for jobs and making it through the door at Action Aid, he said. A more diverse group of staff have also demonstrated confidence in going for more senior roles, he continued. From an external perspective, it might be unclear how some staff have gained leadership or senior management roles, since they don’t appear to be speaking confidently or demonstrating traditional leadership qualities, Menon said, adding that this is precisely the point of their promotion. “It’s not about talking over each other but giving each other the space and providing the opportunity for people to flourish,” he said. Menon spoke to Devex about the value that quiet leadership can bring to an organization and how to spot this type of leadership potential. Changing perspectives of leadership Over the past three years, ActionAid UK has been looking to recruit more people who demonstrate quiet leadership, also known as servant leadership. This approach is where individuals feel comfortable in allowing others leadership space, Menon explained, and this comes from a deep sense of security and confidence in their own abilities. Sometimes when you have extraordinary and charismatic people in leadership they are “leading from the front” and, in doing so, denying others the opportunity to participate and develop leadership potential, which is there but needs to be recognized and nurtured, he continued. Leadership does not come from a job title, Menon added. It can come from many places and there is a need to acknowledge different forms of leadership potential, including recognizing people for their functional expertise, institutional knowledge, or understanding of a particular area of work. His team has also been searching for people who can be reflective. There is a perception that leaders need to know all the answers and everyone should follow their orders, but new thinking on leadership sees this as a role to facilitate and impart knowledge, he added. The ability to listen to and give importance to the opinions of others, trust staff, and allow everyone in the organization to grow are key traits of quiet leaders, Menon told Devex. In trying to change perceptions of leadership, Menon and his team have been looking at how they can align organizational processes and behaviors with the kind of culture they wish to create. Spotting leadership potential There are a number of different psychometric exercises and tools that can provide employers insights into a candidate’s personality or dominant characteristics. In addition to these exercises, one of the most effective actions has been changing the sequencing of the interview process and creating opportunities for staff from different levels within the organization to meet candidates in a more informal situation. This allows the candidate to interact with other staff before their panel interview, Menon explained. It’s an opportunity for the candidate to ask questions and for staff to explain the organization and their role in their own way, he added. “What we’ve found really interesting is that … the kind of questions the candidate asks does really say a little bit more … about that person,” Menon said. This informal part of the process takes place before the formal panel interview, not only to allow the candidate to warm up and better understand the organization, but also to see the nature of their conversation, he explained. “There are some people who are very clearly conscious about wanting to succeed in the interview and make a good impression,” Menon noted, “ and they can be very extracting in the kind of questions they ask — it’s all ‘tell me, tell me, tell me.’” Instead, staff involved in the recruitment process tend to warm to those candidates who demonstrate curiosity and are not focused only on themselves. Questions that demonstrate this might focus on what motivated an individual to join ActionAid UK, what they understand the organizational culture to be, or what they are most proud of in their role, Menon said. And, where a candidate asks questions focused on the person they are speaking with, it can indicate that they are oriented toward making other people feel comfortable rather than pursuing their own objectives, he suggested. Recognizing key behaviors There is no clear formula when it comes to shifting the culture within the organization in this way, Menon said, and he admits there have been times when he and his team “have got it wrong.” One of the first steps to creating change is to acknowledge the biases that we all have, he said, which can be both unconscious and conscious and have been decades in the making. Throughout the entire interview process, it’s important to be aware of those biases that tend to sway in favor of energetic, talkative, and outgoing individuals, he continued. In the interview, don’t just focus on a candidate's background, experience, and responses but also on what behaviors they are demonstrating. If a candidate doesn’t know the answer to a question, it’s not necessarily a negative thing and what’s important is how they follow up, Menon explained. If the candidate turns the question around and asks the panel how they would approach the situation then it makes for a more engaging conversation and demonstrates curiosity and collaboration, he continued. There are many things which can be picked up during an interview if you are consciously looking out for those traits which are more difficult to recognize and understand, Menon concluded.