COMMENTARY: Quiet leadership defined Published Oct. 17, 2014 By Maj. John Ball 100th Force Support Squadron commander RAF MILDENHALL, England -- "Quiet leadership is not an oxymoron," said Susan Cain, author of "Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking." Yet, it's difficult to tell in a culture which celebrates strident visionaries and bombastic personalities. As a nation and Air Force, we rave over the inspirational style of some leaders, while overlooking the power of quiet influence which serves as the hallmark of many great leaders. I hope to influence your perspective on quiet leadership. I hope to define it, describe how it's effective and highlight its link to our own Air Force Core Values. At the turn of the 20th century, the industrial revolution was underway. The rapid growth in technology gave birth to aviation and called for bold men and women to push the limits of technology to its fullest capacity. The legacy of these pioneers informed us of what we as an Air Force value today: courage, innovation and self-initiative. When searching for the next inspirational pioneers, we often look for the archetypical person who is highly social, possesses boundless energy and consistently assertive. However, when one considers the heritage of the Air Force, the quiet and often overlooked advances of engineers pushing the envelopes of design and power are also part of the same Air Force legacy. Working together with aviators, engineering minds have taken aviation from bicycle-powered contraptions to controlled flight to and from space. This monumental achievement has the stamp of quiet leadership all over it; as characterized by a focus on stability, clarity and cultivating expertise. By stability, I am inferring all things related to organizational dynamics and good order. A good leader will generally disdain leadership by fiat and prefer to build and maintain his or her authority through the power of influence and persuasion. A quiet leader will do the same but with an eye for maintaining well-balanced relationships across a group or organization. The need to create and sustain a healthy environment of dialogue and collegial cooperation are seen as necessary components to organizational success. Any behavior which could threaten or break those group dynamics are seen as breaches of integrity. According to Cain's book, the new groupthink on problem-solving suggests collaborative thinking is the best way to find strong solutions. For those who practice quiet leadership, the best collaborative environment is not where participants must compete to be heard but rather an environment of active listeners seeking to understand other points of view. Consider as you problem solve within your organization: Are the best ideas being heard, or just the loudest or most verbose? The quiet leader in your organization will search for clarity of purpose and design. He or she will rarely make a knee-jerk response to a challenge or problem. You can spot a quiet leader by their deliberate approach to problems; hint: he or she will not be the one doing a lot of speaking during a brainstorming session. You will likely find them pursuing the solution with vigor, albeit independent from the group. Moreover, it's likely you already recognize them as the undisputed shop expert, flawless program manager or efficient commissioned officer or senior noncommissioned officer who makes things happen without fanfare. To be clear, quiet leadership is not particular to a person or personality type, but rather a form of leadership to be practiced. Good leaders are expected to establish themselves through study, self-initiative and constant practice as a subject matter expert. However, what defines a quiet leader is how they use their hard-earned expertise to deliberately cultivate others. They employ open lines of communication with their people, intent on building more leadership capacity and subject matter experts. Moreover, those who practice quiet leadership are willing to be led by their people as they gain expertise or an innovative approach in a given situation. Such an attitude is a force multiplier in any organization and naturally builds loyalty to the unit and commitment to the mission. "If you are a good leader, when your work is done, your aim fulfilled, your people will say, 'We did this ourselves,'" said Donald Philips in 'Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times.' I believe our Air Force Core Values reflect the value of quiet leadership. What is integrity, if not the need to maintain good order and trust throughout our service? At its very essence, quiet leadership is not about you; it's about service to those around you. What is service before self, if not the duty to cultivate the next leaders for our Air Force? It requires an individual to apply active listening skills in order to sustain relationships and create productive environments for collaboration and development. What is excellence in all we do, if not the drive to be the best at what you do regardless of recognition? It means giving and taking time for independent problem-solving in order to engineer the best solution - no matter who gets the credit. The success of any mission, team or organization is grounded in the presence of both the inspirational and the quiet but influential forms leadership. Our pioneering roots drive us to innovate, experiment and break barriers. We may mark the achievements of these pioneers in leaps and bounds, but so often quiet leaders, like those aviation engineers, cultivate and engineer those achievements into permanent gains. I believe inspiration (pioneer) and influence (engineer) are two sides of the leadership coin. Quiet leadership is not an oxymoron; it is an ideal element of leadership.