I think Mitt Romney has taken up voodoo. I don’t know this for sure but I am suspicious about the way his Republican opponents for the presidency are so spectacularly bombing. From Governor Perry’s catastrophic “Oops” moment in a televised debate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTNjhcyx7dM) to Herman Cain’s delightful Libyan disaster (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAGGpK7bSWc) and trail of sexual misconduct allegations, Mr Romney’s prospects just keep on getting better.

Interestingly, has anyone noticed what Romney is saying? Because he isn’t saying much of significance. And that’s probably a great strategy! Being (relatively) quiet is proving to be a useful asset for him as he seeks to impress voters.

Sometimes being quiet is a powerful tool for leaders in tackling challenges and managing people. For example you don’t need to always have the last word in meetings or to fill the uneasy gaps after you’ve asked a difficult question. Being quiet can mean choosing not to be openly critical or grumble about others; or even to defend yourself (which as a strategy worked well for Jesus, Wilberforce and Gandhi).

Obviously being quiet is a device to be used carefully lest you be thought of as ‘light’ or creating a vacuum of leadership. Nevertheless silence can be powerful.

Today there will be situations in which you can tackle challenges and difficult people by choosing to be quiet. Have a go and see what the results are. And if all else fails, buy some pins!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 at 2:02 pm and is filed under Engaging People, Leadership. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.