Hidden Leaders
October 26th 2020
Dear Leaders,
It’s almost November, how is re-forecasting going?
In many organisations, there is someone who pulls the strings…secretly. Yes, secretly and you probably don’t think about them.
Sometimes even when the most senior people truly believe it’s their strategy, their company, they are the only ones who lead and everyone follows.
This is a huge misconception and a trait of an old school dominance leader.
The hidden leader isn’t loud, they don’t boast, they know what needs to happen for the business to succeed, they often work silently in the background and help the company to navigate through the headwinds.
They give everyone a boost when your business is underperforming and optimise the tailwinds.
They are often the person who knows and develops your secret weapon. These people often go unspoken of or unrewarded and their impact often misunderstood.
The hidden leader calms those around down and keeps colleagues calm and reduces the company stress level. This can be priceless especially when leaderships often disappear into their offices, the boardroom or war rooms.
The secret and hidden leader is a giver not a taker!
Very rarely do these unsung heroes take the limelight or want it. They likely want to know they are doing a good job from those who they respect but they know they are doing the best for everyone.
I see this often an operationally strong person, a people person or someone who was not conditioned by weak leadership.
The hidden leader does not have to turn from Clark Kent to Superman to save the day and probably does not want to do this as it’s not a healthy state of businesses or company culture to celebrate heroes saving the day regularly.
The secret leaders aren’t easy to spot but harder to find when recruiting. They have a we before me approach. (How the we are put first over the individual).
Typically, once the hidden leader decides to move on, they move on and the company often falls behind, slowly but surely and wonders what happened.
These hidden leaders are a rare breed, ensure they keep pushing the business forward and coaching those around them.
We have been conditioned that leaders are loud, big, bold and strong, these might be good but rarely you do see the impact of the secret leader who drives everything forward methodically, often in silence.
This week focus on working with your secret and hidden leaders to ensure you keep them and keep the business moving forward.
Thanks and have a great week,
Danny Denhard
P.S.- Don’t forget to read my Leaders Letter AMA from Monday 26th.
Watch the Hidden Leaders Video
7 replies on “Leaders Letter 21 – Hidden Leaders”
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