A Powerful Shift in Business Leadership

In today’s competitive business landscape, successful leadership is often portrayed as assertive, visionary, and highly ambitious. However, an equally powerful but often overlooked archetype is the reluctant leader.

These individuals are not actively seeking leadership roles but are drawn to them because of their experience, integrity, or sense of responsibility. Despite their initial reluctance, reluctant leaders often prove to be exceptionally well-suited to complex, people-centered 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 out of necessity within the team. These leaders usually shy away from leadership, preferring to focus on their specific areas of expertise. However, when their environment requires strong leadership and the absence of a suitable alternative becomes apparent, they feel forced to take on that role.

I believe that when creating your work environment, you need to think about what will help your employees feel as if they are supported and part of a team. Unlike more assertive leaders who may prefer to dictate direction, reluctant leaders prefer to work with their team in a way that fosters collaboration, enabling employees to contribute more effectively to decision-making. I find that this helps me lead with an open mind so that we can find solutions as a team.

I never saw myself as a leader. I never thought I would become a business owner either, but when you go to the bank with your business proposal or when you stand in front of potential investors, you rarely think about the possibility of having employees that you are responsible for. I started Tiny Box Company because I knew there was a gap in the sustainable packaging market. There must be a company that offers small businesses the option to order without a minimum order quantity. I never thought that 17 years later, I would have 100 employees looking to me for guidance and answers that, quite frankly, I don’t always get.

For some, driving comes naturally, however, for many of us who tend, if possible, to avoid the lights, driving can sometimes be a struggle, especially in the beginning while you are still finding your bearings. Becoming a leader requires learning a new set of skills, including the ability to have difficult or sometimes awkward conversations with employees.

I remember one of the first awkward conversations I had with an employee. We had an employee working overtime, which was fairly normal, however, we quickly realized that this employee was overtime and had actually joined an employee at a neighboring company who was doing the same thing. This employee ignored that we had security camera, so naturally, I asked to see the footage and had to confront the employee about it. For me, this was one of the first uncomfortable conversations I had as a manager, and I remember feeling very nervous beforehand and not feeling much better afterwards. In fact, afterward, I felt ill-equipped to handle such conversations. It wasn’t in my nature, although I got better over time, and now I remind myself of one of my favorite sayings, “Suck it up, Buttercup,” and tell myself it’s part of the party, so you have to stick with it.

When you take on a leadership role, it’s important to remember that your behavior trickles down to your team members. You have to remember that people are looking up to you, especially as the CEO. I know that my senior managers often look to me for guidance on how to run their department or manage their team, so making sure I lead by example is key.

I think one of the hardest things for me is realizing that your employees are not always going to be your friends. You have to be firm but fair and be kind but still be able to have those awkward conversations if necessary. One of your new job roles will be to keep your team together and keep everyone on track for the greater good of the business. Steve Jobs said: “You know who the best managers are. They’re the great individual contributors who never want to be managers.” Sometimes you have to step up because you know you can get the job done. You may not have seen yourself as a leader before, but once you assume that role, you must acknowledge the responsibility that comes with it. Being a leader has pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to get comfortable with uncomfortable things.