Passive people can be amazing leaders
Despite what some believe, passive people often become some of the world’s greatest leaders. After all, they are calm, handle stress well, and are usually pretty focused. It just may be a little more difficult competing for leadership positions when you are passive as opposed to your bold, outspoken, and seemingly more noticeable colleagues.
If you are passive and are climbing the ladder, starting a business, or just considering how your personality plays as a boss, the truth is that you have a lot of strengths to harness and apply to your leadership ability. Have you ever heard this statement made about you? “She doesn’t say much, but when she does, it is worth hearing.” This is one of your dominating characteristics. You don’t think out loud. You don’t say anything until it is ready for the public.
People actually want to work for you
This has a bit of shock value. When you talk, people listen. Your ideas aren’t ideas, they are plans. People take your word as gold, and they run with it because your word has a history of being the beginning of an awesome outcome.
Since you aren’t an avid talker, you have a knack for listening–really listening and hearing what your colleagues or employees are saying. This is an imperative skill to have to create a work environment full of people who want to work for you.
Your big advantage
So many people in leadership positions think that relationships with employees don’t matter, but you have an advantage – your workplace environment operates out of respect and support for each other. People want to work for you. Employees are happy to come to work. This will ultimately ensure quality production from your staff.
As a boss, there will be times where your passive personality and the task at hand don’t seem to mix. It is probably hard for you to give criticism, and it is definitely difficult for you to deliver bad news. But remember to use your concise communication skills and abilities to listen and therefore know your employees, and such instances won’t be as daunting.
Kristyl Barron holds a BA in English Education from the University of Central Oklahoma and an MHR in Counseling/Organizational Management from the University of Oklahoma. Barron has been writing professionally since 2008, and projects include a memoir entitled Give Your Brother Back His Barbie and an in progress motivational book called Aspies Among Us.
