𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫,

Yesterday, I had a conversation with someone who told me they were leaving their job. Not because of the work. Not because of their team. But because they could no longer breathe under a manager who led with power, power with a capital "𝐏." Someone who controlled instead of trusted. Who always had the final word. Who made others feel smaller just to appear bigger themselves. “𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯,” they said.

And it hit me, not because it was rare, but because 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭. I hear these stories more often than I wish I did.

And it made me wonder: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭?

Who told us that real leaders must always be the center of attention? Maybe because, for years, that was the model. And yes, in today’s geopolitical climate, we’re seeing echoes of that model rise again.Strongmen. Harsh language. Power plays. It looks like strength, but often it’s just fear dressed up as confidence.

And yet, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰: The world has changed. Organizations have changed. And that means leadership must change too.

But here's the thing: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞. The need to feel safe. The need to feel seen.The need to be heard, valued, and respected.

Those needs are timeless, and you, Quiet Leader, tap into them 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲. You create the conditions where trust can grow. Where ideas can breathe. Where people can bring their full selves without fear of being shut down.

So to you, the Quiet Leader, I want to say this: 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

You don’t shout to be heard. You don’t dominate the room. In meetings, you observe. You listen. You ask thoughtful questions. You connect the dots. Not to slow things down, but to get to the heart of things. To find clarity in complexity. To make decisions that are wise, not just quick. You create space for ideas, for people, for truth. And that space is rare. And needed.

You may not always be the loudest voice in the room, but you are often the most grounded. The most reflective. The most trusted. And while the world still often rewards noise, t𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧. To those who choose trust over fear, connection over control, clarity over chaos.

So if you ever wonder whether your way of leading is “enough,” if you ever question your visibility in a world that shouts, please remember this: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝!

Because quiet is not weak. Quiet is focused. Intentional. Resilient. Powerful. Calm is not the absence of action. It is the foundation for meaningful movement.

𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠. We need you more than ever.

With deep respect,

Elbrich Batstra