“Loud ≠ Leader: Rethinking what authority actually looks like”
Some of the most powerful leaders I’ve worked with barely raise their voice. Let’s talk about the difference between presence and performance.
Quiet ≠ Small.
I used to think leadership was about being “on.”
Like, always on.
Visible. Vocal. The one with the clearest message, the strongest conviction, the biggest presence, the fastest answers.
The one who spoke first. Or best. Or loudest. Or longest.
You probably know the “alpha leader” we all learned to perform at some point (after our first corporate role usually)
Well it’s exhausting. And not very effective anymore.
What I’ve learned - after years of building brands, leading teams, sitting on panels, and watching wildly talented people second-guess themselves - is this:
Leadership isn’t about volume. It’s about gravity.
And gravity can be soft. It can be quiet. It can sit back and still hold the whole room.
I’ve worked with founders who barely post on social media but when they do, their audience listens.
I’ve been in rooms with women who said one sentence - ONE - and shifted the entire tone of a conversation.
And I’ve learned that sometimes the person saying the least is the person you need to be listening to.
Because presence?
That’s leadership.
Not noise. Not airtime. Not how many all-hands meetings you’ve hosted or how fast you can reply in Slack (just think of the RSI 😂)
Have you ever been told you are are “too quiet” to lead? Or that “you need to be more visible”?
Well let me tell you something (as a loud and visible person)
You don’t have to shout to be heard.
You don’t have to perform to be trusted.
You don’t have to lead like anyone else to be a bloody brilliant leader.
Your ability to listen, to hold nuance, to give space, to reflect before speaking - all of that is leadership.
In fact, it’s the kind we need more of right now.
There’s still a place for bold voices and high-energy leaders (I am one of those loud people…my voice is loud, I don’t even notice it most of the time…)
But I think it’s time we value clarity over certainty. That we understand gravitas over volume. Discernment over dominance.
So if you’re quietly doing the work, building the vision, shaping the culture, holding the thread, managing the team…quietly, calmly getting shit done?
Please don’t mistake your quiet for smallness.
You’re leading. Exactly as you are.
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Thinking of turning this into a reel or set of stories too. Want to hear it?
Let me know - and if this resonates, feel free to forward it to someone quietly leading in your life xxx
I work with founders, creatives and teams who are leading differently — with clarity, not chaos.
Want to collaborate on brand strategy, storytelling, or speaking? [Get in touch →]