Three Keys to Silent Leadership

Special thanks to our guest author, Asbel Montes, for contributing today's blog. Asbel is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at Acadian Ambulance Service. You can read more about him in his bio below.

One of the most important aspects in leadership is being able to recognize the power of your words. Just as important, however, is the ability to recognize the power of your silence. 

Emily Dickinson once said, “Saying nothing sometimes says the most.” While we often put pressure on ourselves to say the right thing at the right time, we rarely focus so much attention on knowing when to listen. 

True, authentic, and influential leaders know when to speak, and when to be silent. Timing is everything. King Solomon, widely regarded as one of the wisest men to walk the earth, wrote: “there is a time to keep silent and a time to speak.” 

One of the keys to effective leadership lies in discerning when to speak up, and when to listen. Here are three guidelines to assist you in knowing when you should keep silent. 

1. Recognize when your emotions are influencing your reactions, and choose to respond accordingly. 

Ambrose Bierce once said, “Speak when you are angry, and you will make the best speech you will ever regret.” 

It’s okay to have strong emotions about the situations you encounter in leadership. It means that you care. In order to use that passion to your best advantage, however, sometimes it’s best to wait to speak until your emotions won’t dictate your words. You can build stability and trust with your team by avoiding passionate outbursts. Keep silent until the emotion passes and you can apply critical thinking to the situation, without the color of emotion. Benjamin Franklin perhaps said it best: "Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." 

2. Pay attention to who is speaking and avoid interrupting; they may just want a listening ear. 

In most situations, whoever is speaking is not looking for advice unless they directly ask for it. They’re looking to be heard. 

Silence is golden in these situations. Listening lets your team know that their feelings, thoughts, and contributions are valued, and helps them feel more comfortable expressing their view of the situation. If your team members feel that you value their input, it empowers them to bring their best to the team. 

It’s good to keep a balanced perspective here, though. While listening first is always the best policy, some people enjoy having an attentive listener so much that they will continue to take advantage of the attention beyond what’s appropriate for the situation. Be careful not to become an enabler of this behavior. It’s fine every once in a while, but aimless monologues quickly become draining and unproductive for all involved. 

3. Know when silence should end. 

Again: timing is everything. Just as it’s wise to hold back from speaking until you’ve listened to the information and thoughts presented by others, equally valuable is knowing when not to keep silent. In certain circumstances, silence can be construed as complicity. As Abraham Lincoln put it, “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.” 

We navigate any number of difficult topics in a given day, and it’s not always easy to know how we should respond. However, it is important to realize that when it comes to issues revolving around things like safety or injustice, it’s our responsibility to speak up. 

While the right words at the right time can do wonders, sometimes silence speaks volumes. When in doubt, listening first is often the best option. My encouragement to you is to hone your ability to know when to speak, and when to keep silent. Timing is everything. 

As it turns out, Solomon wrote quite a bit on the subject of silence. I’ll close with a few of his words of wisdom, taken from Proverbs 17:27 and 21:23: 

“He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.” 

“He who guards his mouth and his tongue guards his soul from troubles.”

For more thoughts on effective leadership in healthcare, check out our series on Building Effective Teams.