#029 Quiet Power: Reclaiming Influence from the Inside Out

I’ve always believed in the quiet strength of silence — even in an age that rewards volume over virtue. I’ve never thought that leadership required being the loudest in the room, or that meaningful impact demanded constant visibility, performance, or presence. If anything, I’ve found that the most grounded influence often moves in silence, guided more by principle than by applause.

Over time, this belief has deepened. True power, I’ve learned, is not about dominance or charisma. It is composed. Rooted. Measured. It does not need to announce itself to be felt. And yet, we live in a world addicted to noise — where outrage is currency, performance is mistaken for principle, and attention has replaced wisdom as a measure of influence.

But Stoicism offers another way. A quieter, more deliberate path. One that begins not on a stage or in a headline, but in the choices we make, the values we uphold, and the discipline we embody when no one is watching.

The Illusion of Performed Power

We’ve been conditioned to associate power with dominance — to believe that volume, visibility, and constant busyness are the marks of leadership. From boardrooms to timelines, those who are loudest or most reactive often win the spotlight, even if they lack substance.

But real power doesn’t always look the way we’ve been taught to expect it.

Early on in my tech career, I worked under a manager who was obsessed with the optics of productivity. He would randomly walk up to your desk and ask, “What are you working on right now?”, not out of curiosity or support, but suspicion. If he felt you looked too free, he’d assign more tasks, often his own, just to keep you visibly busy.

It drove me and the rest of the team to find workarounds. We started submitting work in slow batches, even when we’d finished everything earlier, just to maintain the illusion of perpetual motion. That environment made it hard to trust or be trusted. And even though I genuinely enjoyed my work — and was good at it — I eventually resigned. Not because I wasn’t performing (I was actually one of the top two performers in the year I resigned), but because the obsession with constant execution left no room for reflection, creativity, or autonomy.

That experience taught me a valuable lesson: the idea that your team should always appear busy can stunt not just their growth, but the growth of the organization. It breeds performance over purpose, optics over outcomes.

We’ve created a culture where attention is currency and virtue is optional. Where power is equated with control, and leadership is confused with micromanagement.

But here’s the quiet truth:

Power without principle is performance.

And performance without purpose is noise.

True power doesn’t demand constant movement. It makes space for thought, trust, and innovation. And when it does speak, it doesn’t shout to be heard. It resonates because it’s rooted.

So What Is Quiet Power?

Quiet power is not silence for silence’s sake, nor is it a lack of voice — it’s the presence of depth. It’s the capacity to act without applause, to lead without needing followers, and to speak truthfully even when no one is paying attention. It is anchored not in performance, but in principle. In a world obsessed with optics and visibility, quiet power is a steady force — unshaken by trends, grounded in values.

It draws strength from the four Stoic virtues:

Wisdom — to discern what truly matters from what merely distracts.

Courage — to show up rooted in conviction, not ego or fear.

Justice — to extend our efforts beyond ourselves, in service of the collective good.

Self-Discipline — to remain aligned with purpose, especially when it’s difficult or inconvenient.

Quiet power is not passive. It is not submission. It is a form of strength refined by clarity and purpose. It resists chaos without needing to control it. It’s influence that doesn’t impose, but inspires — flowing from the inside out.

A Moment of Reckoning

We all encounter moments that invite performance — a chance to be loud, to be “right,” to be seen.

The spotlight tempts us. Ego whispers: “Say it. Show them. Be heard.”

But what if, instead of reacting, we paused?

Not out of fear, but out of intention.

Not because we lack conviction, but because we’re learning to ask:

Where is this impulse coming from?

Is it clarity or pride? Principle or performance?

There is power in choosing stillness when the world demands spectacle.

There is courage in walking away — not in defeat, but in self-possession.

Sometimes, the real revolution is not in what you say, but in what you choose not to.

Not every battle deserves your energy.

Not every stage deserves your voice.

Not every opinion needs your response.

To remain intact, aligned, undisturbed, whole — that, too, is power.

And in a world addicted to noise, restraint might just be your quiet rebellion.

Practices of Quiet Power

Quiet power isn’t an abstract concept — it’s a discipline lived out in ordinary moments. It’s the daily practice of choosing depth over noise, clarity over chaos.

1. Create Stillness Before Speaking

Not every moment requires your voice. Silence, when chosen, can be an act of strength — a refusal to be reactive, a commitment to presence.

2. Move With Meaning

Let your work reflect more than ambition. Let it reflect care, intention, and values that outlast trends.

3. Speak Only When It’s True, Necessary, and Kind

Words hold weight. Quiet power knows when to use them sparingly, and how to use them well.

4. Seek Depth, Not Applause

Influence is earned in the dark, not declared in the light. Some of your most important work will go unseen — and that’s okay.

5. Let Virtue Lead

Before you act, ask: Is this wise? Is it just? Is it courageous? Is it disciplined? Let the answer guide you — not the audience.

True power isn’t loud. It doesn’t perform. It doesn’t need applause.

It shows up in how you lead when no one is watching.

It’s built in silence, tested in storms, and refined in self-discipline.

In a world addicted to noise, quiet power isn’t retreat — it’s resistance.

Not with spectacle, but with substance.

Not with volume, but with virtue.

Speak soon,

Rey Mungai

Sophia • Andreia • Dikaiosyne • Sophrosyne

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