“He’s fast on his feet” or “She has a clear head on her shoulders.” “He’s definitely a thought-leader in the industry.” These current kudos pique a leader’s attention. After all, leaders look to hire, promote, and listen to those who think clearly and communicate well.

But what if you’re naturally quiet and slow to speak up in a crowd?  How do people really gauge how well you think—particularly when your interactions are brief and infrequent?  Can you still convey the same sense of being an astute, clear thinker as your more outgoing colleagues?

I think you can.

Many people today talk about leadership who’ve never led anything more complex than a high school marching band.  They offer this or that principle as if proven under fire when, in fact, their experience has been limited to launching missiles in a game of Battleship.

But that’s not to say that you can’t learn from these neophytes or even failed leaders. On the contrary. As volunteers or especially as victims in their experiments, you often have a front-row seat to observe their inappropriate actions and inactions. You learn not to repeat their leadership lapses: