In today’s competitive business landscape, successful leadership is often portrayed as assertive, visionary, and highly ambitious. However, an equally powerful yet often overlooked archetype is the reluctant leader.
These individuals do not actively seek leadership roles but are thrust into them because of their expertise, integrity, or sense of responsibility. Despite their initial hesitation, reluctant leaders often prove to be exceptionally well-suited for complex, people-centric environments, where ethical leadership is highly valued.
A reluctant leader is someone who has stepped into a leadership role, not out of ambition or desire for power, but because of a necessity within the team. These leaders will usually shy away from leadership, preferring to focus on their specific areas of expertise. However, when their environment demands strong leadership and the absence of a suitable alternative becomes apparent, they feel compelled to take on the role.
I believe that when creating your working environment, you need to think of what will help your employees feel as though they are supported and part of a team. Unlike more assertive leaders who may prefer to dictate direction, reluctant leaders will prefer to work with their team in a way that fosters collaboration, empowering employees to contribute more actively to decision-making. I find this helps me lead with an open mind so we can find solutions as a team.
I never saw myself as a leader. I never really thought I would become a business owner either, but when you go to the bank with your business proposal or when you are standing in front of potential investors, you are rarely thinking about the possibility of you having employees that you are responsible for. I started Tiny Box Company because I knew there was a gap in the market for sustainable packaging. There needed to be a company that offered smaller businesses the option of ordering without a minimum order quantity. I never thought about how 17 years later, I would have 100 employees looking to me for direction and answers that quite honestly, I don’t always have.
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