Susan Duffy: Leading Quietly

As an introverted leader, Susan Duffy was well aware of the misalignment between her quiet, often lead-from-behind style and society's definition of leadership (gregarious, direct, extroverted). Over her 35 years, as she progressed into increasingly senior roles, she had developed strategies to address that misalignment: flexing, managing others' perceptions, negotiating the conditions she needed to contribute. By doing so she had successfully innovated, built support for her ideas, and executed in health care, construction, nonprofits, and academia. Duffy was now considering her next career move and wanted to be strategic about it. By reviewing her career history, she planned to identify the metrics essential for that next position. Specifically, who was she as a leader; and what job elements did she need to be motivated and satisfied? The third determinant, where, was the most salient for Duffy: where would she find an organizational culture that would recognize, value, and support her quiet introverted leadership style? Finding that organizational fit would be critical in enabling her to lead and make her best contribution.