Meekness is not Weakness

Meekness is a strength, in leadership, in teamwork, in life.  Is is part of your leadership skills portfolio?

At first, this was a difficult association for me because the concept of meek doesn’t have positive connotations.  If someone is described to be “meek as a mouse” or “meek as a lamb”, it is hard to imagine how that same individual could be a strong leader.

If you also have difficulty with the association, Bret L. Simmons wrote a “must read” post on his blog.  Here are a couple of highlights from Simmons:

• The meek leader first absorbs as much of the power directed at him or her as possible, dissipates whatever will not benefit the group, and then responds with purposeful foresight.
• Meek leaders are systems thinkers.
• Strong meekness, like wisdom, is rare and remarkable. Strong meekness is very prudent.

After you read and explore the Simmons work and as you decide whether meekness is part of your leadership skills portfolio, consider the Merriam Webster Thesaurus definition of meekness.   They define meekness as

the absence of any feelings of being better than others

That definition sealed the deal for me.  As Simmons says, “meekness is not weakness.”

Thanks for reading.  Please lead quietly and meekly.

don