Studies have shown that the true leaders of any type of group are not always the ones who do all of the talking, or are the center of the group’s attention.

Quite often, it is the one who pulls strings from behind, quietly controlling the group who is the true leader.

One study showed that leaders most often performed secretarial-like duties within the group.

These leaders performed activities such as organizing people, delegating tasks, making sure that everyone had input into the group’s decision (which usually involved asking quieter members of the group for input) and so on.

Think about that for a second. The ones who established themselves as the true leaders of the group concerned themselves with being able to control the function and framework of the group – not necessarily talking the most, having everyone notice them, or struggling to make everyone obey their commands.

Instead of struggling with others directly for the so-called power position of the group, they chose an almost back-door way to effectively solidify themselves in a position where the other members of the group relied upon their contribution to the group for success.

After all, who would have more power or a greater position of leadership within a group – the one who talked the most, or the one who could decide on when the group would meet, or how the group would be organized in order to accomplish a certain task?

Whenever you want to gain power within a group, you must quickly grab onto the duties that help facilitate how the group functions, making yourself irreplaceable and a crucial part of the group’s success.

Once you’ve done this you can effectively control the group from behind the scenes if need be, making you the true leader.