Loudness doesn’t mean leadership, bosses need to realise this

A client who works in a high-pressure job says that sometimes he feels that he will never succeed. “I love my job, yet because I take time to warm up, process information and articulate what I have to say in group situations, I feel my voice is lost."

"But, I have a colleague who is the loudest and will always have something to say during our weekly meetings. Most of it is nothing significant but he says it with passion, always takes the initiative, and has been made the project lead twice. I fail to understand how my boss couldn’t see through this. My other teammates have been feeling disappointed and angry at how this is impacting us and the team morale,” says the 29-year-old executive.

The babble hypothesis

My client found himself in a situation others often face—being impacted by what has come to be known as the “babble hypothesis”. In my experience, this phenomenon can be seen in group situations not just in offices, but also in schools, colleges, and on social media. This hypothesis suggests that in group settings and discussions, individuals who speak the most are often perceived as having leadership qualities and, as a result, emerge as group leaders.

Neil G. MacLaren, a research fellow at Binghamton University, New York, and his team who studied this phenomenon, found evidence of this. Mr MacLaren also talked about a gender bias which was reflected in their study. “In our data, men receive on average an extra vote just for being a man.”

It seems to be problematic that we sway towards those who “babble”, rather than focus on the quality of content and the nuance to conversation that comes with specific personality traits and the way information is articulated.

Ability to speak boldly

We perceive the ability to speak and take the lead as effective leadership and competence whereas it may not be reflective of qualities we need in leaders who build safe spaces and see to it that everyone feels included. This bias can often be a blind spot for leaders and come in the way of psychological safety and creating the sense of belonging employees seek.

Many people seem to be swayed by this bias on social media too, where the voices that are the loudest, consistently and vehemently positioning themselves as experts, actually end up becoming popular and being perceived as leaders. The worry is that we may be confusing the passion with which people post and voice their opinions with facts, and not looking at the credibility of the speaker or the information. This is particularly dangerous when it comes to narratives relating to health, mental health, managing finances, parenting, and relationships by creators who aren’t experts in these fields.

For a leader who builds psychologically safe spaces, it’s important to be aware of this bias which can come in the way of how we look at employees and their potential. The responsibility lies in recognising that everyone in the meeting, right from the youngest to the quietest person, has a voice and a chance to express themselves. In the absence of that, only the employees who choose to speak will be heard.

Introverts 

My clients who identify as introverts have also mentioned the “babble hypothesis” in therapy sessions. They fear that their quieter presence is something that’s not perceived as a quality that a leader can have. Often in group settings, it’s the vociferous individuals who end up taking positions of authority and, as a result, they wonder if their introversion will come in the way of their success.

As Adam Grant, author and organisational psychologist at Wharton School, says, “It’s time to stop rewarding people for dominating the discussion and start valuing quality over quantity.”

                                                    (By arrangement with livemint.com)