Forget performance – leading starts from within

Leadership is a word we see everywhere – in books, on social media, at conferences.

Most of the time, when people write about leadership, it's all about performance. How to drive results. How to manage better. How to be seen.

But what about the inner leader?

When I first started my own business, I never thought of myself as a leader. I was simply the owner. The one responsible for making sure salaries were paid, clients were happy and the company kept moving forward.

I wasn't standing at the front, waving a flag. I was a shy novice in business, figuring things out as I went. If you'd asked me then, I wouldn't have described myself as a leader at all.

But here's what I've realised: leadership isn't about titles. Nor is it about performance levels or perfectly polished posts on LinkedIn.

Leadership starts from within

It's in the quiet moments. It's in how you respond when things get tough. It's in the values you hold, the way you treat people, the accountability you take for your own actions.

Leadership is less about the noise you make and more about the example you set.

And when I began to share this perspective, something interesting happened. People responded. Many admitted they hadn't ever thought of leadership as an inner journey rather than an external performance.

Internal presence

In his poem Burnt Norton, T.S. Eliot wrote about the "still point of the turning world" being "only the dance".

Reading those lines, I was struck by their relationship to the inner being of what it takes to be a leader, consider oneself as a leader, step into leadership.

Leadership isn't always loud or visible. Sometimes it's the quiet voice to pause, to listen, to hold space. Presence isn't passive, but internal.

Eliot's brilliance is in placing the dance or the still point – not in frantic motion but in attuned presence. It is a metaphor for living fully in the moment – when time touches eternity.

Breaking it down deeper to make it relatable to the inner presence of oneself and one's leadership: The "turning world" evokes motion, time, change – everything that spins us through life, seasons, thoughts, listening.

The "still point" is the paradoxical centre. It isn't static in the sense of lifelessness but rather a place of deep presence – where movement and stillness live side by side.

The "dance" symbolises life, creation and expression.

How this relates to leading within

In those moments of decision-making, when one wrong word could make or break an important contract, being in the "still point" to realign your core values, your quiet determination to be true to oneself, will take you where "the dance is".

That very moment when your next verbal decision will be the one that shows you as your true leader, who quietly understands and is willing to be the best, and do the best, in that moment.

So, here's my challenge for you. Instead of asking "How can I look like a leader?", ask yourself "Who am I really, and how am I showing up?"

For me, the truth is that the people around you don't follow your strategies, your spreadsheets or your job title. They follow your example.

Leadership isn't about being the loudest in the room. It's about being the truest version of yourself and letting others see that.

What about the follower?

Leadership isn't a solo act – it's a shared field.

Those who follow a leader aren't passive or obedient, but are people who choose to follow from their own deep knowing.

The follower, too, is in a relationship with presence. They discern, they align, they respond not to charisma but to clarity.

The most powerful followers aren't swept up in performance. They're attuned to resonance. They follow because something in them recognises truth.

The quiet leader

One could say that I am, in fact, referring to the quiet leader within.

For me, a great example of a quiet leader is Mahatma Gandhi. Through non-violent resistance, he led India to independence and inspired civil rights as a global movement.

He didn't command armies, he commanded conscience.

He said, "Be the change that you wish to see in the world". This was a call to his personal responsibility in an era of global challenges. Yet today Gandhi's words remind us that change begins within.

He redefined leadership as a moral not a political force. He showed that silence, restraint and personal sacrifice would be more powerful than aggression.

His approach made quiet leadership a global symbol of resistance and dignity. He remains a beacon – change the conscience not the conflict.

Conclusion

So, whether you're the one who steps forward or the one who chooses to walk alongside, you're shaping the path.

I'd love to know: When you think about leadership, what qualities matter most to you?

If you're in a leadership role or about to step into one, and you're unsure, unclear or feeling internal shifts, please contact me via email on jordancoaching@gmail.com. Let's take the conversation further.