Quiet Leadership considers leadership in the smallest of actions, through a guided reflection on ‘humility’, ‘kindness’, ‘fairness’ and ‘grace’. It takes place against the backdrop and notion of the Organisation as Ecosystem: interconnected, and yet beyond individual control. This week i kick off two new groups exploring this landscape through a series of eight ‘conversations with strangers’, in dialogue about themselves and the cultural systems that they inhabit.

This work has been something of a surprise to me: originated as a research project during the Covid era lockdowns, it has taken a life of it’s own, clearly resonating, perhaps for it’s simplicity and connection to individual agency and action. Sometimes i introduce the work by mentioning that whilst Organisations talk of leadership as a journey of 10,000 steps, the Quiet Leadership work is just the first three. But crucially it is the three that we take this week, alongside each other.

I have taken some time this year to consider the next chapter of this work, but have no firm conclusions. I will continue to offer the journey as an open and guided reflection for at least another year, as demand continues to be high: i think so far people from 46 different countries have taken part, and it’s been overwhelmingly positive as an experience. Indeed, what i have really enjoyed is seeing how people find commonality between their varied systems, but also enough trust to explore uncertainty.

There is still time to sign up for a range of these events: you can find more details here.

And you can download the Quiet Leadership Guidebook here.