The Quiet Kind of Leadership

Daily writing prompt

What makes a good leader?

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Monday, 19 January 2026.

We often think about leadership like a stage: a place for the loudest voice, the biggest platform, or the person with the most polished plan. We look for leaders in boardrooms and on screens, forgetting that some of the most profound leadership happens in the quiet moments of an ordinary Friday afternoon.

But what does leadership really look like when you aren’t in charge of anything but your own response?

If we think of our life as a journey, a leader isn’t necessarily the person driving the bus. A leader is the one who, when the road gets bumpy and the storm rolls in, remains a steady presence for the people walking alongside them.

True leadership isn’t about power; it’s about stewardship.

It’s about how we handle the unexpected roadblocks, the detours. When our plans are upended, when things fall apart, or a challenge we didn’t imagine or ever want suddenly arrives at our door, how do we react?

Do we lead with panic, or with a quiet, trusting peace?

Do we lead with ego, or with the humility to say, “I don’t know the way, but I know we aren’t walking it alone”?

There is something truly beautiful in the faith required to lead this way. It’s the John the Baptist style of leadership, realising that our job isn’t to be the light, but simply to point toward it. It’s the realisation that we don’t have to have all the answers as long as we’re walking in the right direction.

I see this kind of leadership in the small things:

• The person who listens longer than they speak.

• The one who offers kindness and grace when everyone else is offering criticism.

• The soul who stays calm in a crisis, not because they are indifferent, but because they’re anchored in something far deeper.

Help me, Jesus, to lead by the way I love.

As a shopaholic I’ve spent a lot of time trying to curate a life that looks pretty. But I’m learning that people aren’t inspired by our perfections; they’re inspired by how we handle our imperfections. It’s by our resilience, our kindness, and our willingness to keep going when the path is challenging that we can show the way.

You don’t need a microphone to be a leader. You just need a heart that’s willing to serve, and eyes that are fixed on a destination beyond yourself.