Quietly Leading the Way in Academia: Jonathan Holloway

To the Rutgers University President, being a quiet man offers distinct advantages as a leader.

Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway isn’t just a quiet man himself.

He believes the time has come for other introverted males to step into leadership roles.

“If one thinks of a quiet man as someone who is contemplative, who is going to listen actively to the different competing voices around him, and then make a decision, [then yes] I think we would all do well to have some more leaders like this,” Jonathan says.

Jonathan is one of the quiet men leaders Jennifer Kahnweiler and I interviewed for our “Now is the Time for Quiet Men” video series. The program shines a spotlight on the challenges, strengths and strategies of introverted male leaders.

The first Black president of Rutgers and someone who has had a distinguished academic career at Northwestern and Yale universities as well, Jonathan shared how he built up trust and turned introversion into a strength. This includes:

–Hosting gatherings where he let people come to him rather than trying to steal the spotlight

–Creating a culture of candor on his leadership team, with robust conversations and the space to disagree

And

–Preserving a demeanor of calmness amid turbulent times

To Jonathan, being a quiet man offers distinct advantages as a leader.

“There’s a level of self-awareness, I think, in being quiet,” Jonathan says. “And then I think you get better decisions.”

Check out the video to learn more about Jonathan’s quiet, inspiring example.