The Quiet People

I read an article this morning by Tim Denning called “Quiet People in Meetings are Incredible.” To be clear, I have never read Tim Denning before, and I don’t agree with everything in his article, to include some of the language or style, but the crux of the article is something to ponder.

We’ve all been there. I’ve actually written about it in at least one previous post. Meetings. They can be loud, disorganized, uncomfortable power plays where everyone’s time gets wasted and the only thing that gets accomplished is the need for another meeting. Sometimes it’s the suits fighting over their fiefdoms. Sometimes it’s the serfs, clamoring for the attention they think will gain them the next foothold on the ladder to the C-suite. And sometimes it’s the salesman whose commission relies on your not really understanding how unfriendly their software is until it’s too late.

Then there are the quiet people.

Quiet people have learned a lesson James tried to teach millennia ago.

“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20, NKJV)

In this passage, James exhorts us to listen first, understand the true nature of the conversation, and then speak only when our words benefit the group. Framed in a more contemporary tone, my Mama said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything.” Be a quiet person.

Back to Tim Denning’s article, he recommends we observe the quiet people. They reserve their words for, as he says, “the royal family.” They calculate. They contemplate. They are E.F. Hutton. When they speak, smart people know to listen because their words matter. They don’t have to be the company president, sitting quietly, taking in all feedback, and then espousing guidance borne of decades of wisdom. They might be the newest intern or a mid-level manager who simply has mastered the art of listening before talking and stewarding everyone’s time through efficiency of communication.

This, Servant Leader, is our goal. Rather than being a clanging cymbal or clamoring for the next rung on the ladder, let’s choose to listen, to speak clearly and efficiently and in a manner that benefits everyone. As James said, let’s be “swift to hear, slow to speak,” because when E.F. Hutton talks – people listen.

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