Nick McBain, Clarity Coaching
Great managers need
to be able to get the best from all individuals, to achieve outstanding
results. Marcus Buckingham 1 says “the best
managers share one talent -- the ability to find, and then capitalize upon, their
employees' unique traits.”
This guide will help
you understand and get the best from introverts – a group which many agree makes
up 30-50% of the workforce. People are starting to appreciate that introverts
have some key qualities, including potential to be more successful as leaders
than extraverts.
Issues which drive
this include: the war for talent (attracting and keeping the best high-potential
staff), managing proactive employees (by listening and involving more than just
telling), and the whole domain of employee engagement through change.
"When the
confederates were proactive, participants perceived the more extraverted
leaders as less receptive to ideas, and they invested less effort in the
task". Dr Adam Grant, The Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania
2
‘Introvert’ – what does this mean?
History - The terms introversion and extraversion (alt.spelling
‘extroversion’) were first popularized by Carl Jung, then Hans Eysenck, and are
a central concept in the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, the 16PF questionnaire, and
many others.
Importance - They
are one of the broadest ways to classify individuals, hence one of the most
immediately useful. They are one of the
most deeply-rooted preferences, and one that appears earliest.
Meaning - Extraversion
is more outward-focused, introversion more inward-focused. “It’s different from
being shy – shyness is about fear of social judgement. Introversion is about
how you respond to your situation, including social ones. Extraverts crave
large amounts of social interaction, introverts are at their most alive in a
quieter, more low-key environment.” author Susan Cain 3 .
Scaling - There is
no such thing as a pure introvert or extravert. We are all somewhere along the
scale. Also, many introverts have succeeded in learning to act like extraverts (for
work, or since their time in big classrooms at school). This takes extra energy
though.
How many are leaders
- Psychologists Stephan Dilchert and Deniz Ones 4 demonstrated that although some 50% of the U.S. population is
extraverted, approximately 96% of U.S. leaders are extraverted. Introverts are therefore
highly under-represented in this category.
Common
misconceptions - A classic misapprehension is that introverts can’t make good
presentations or speeches. Not so! Introverts can give an excellent presentation
to a big audience: for the introvert presenter, there is nothing more important
than preparation.
Cultural –
introversion is a more powerful norm in Eastern cultures, where the success of
the group is often valued above that of the self, than in Western culture where
the individual is paramount. In many Asian cultures, extravert behaviour is
seen as crude.
Which are you?
| You're more of an introvert if: | You're more of an extravert if: |
- Solitary pursuits, or being alone to think, tends to recharge your energy. - Interacting with groups in work or social settings tends to drain your energy. - You gather and process information using reference materials: books, articles and online. - You problem-solve through solitary reflection. Left alone to think through an issue, you can often come up with several options. Pure brainstorming in groups doesn’t work as well for you. - With a choice of going to a large "event of the year" party, spending an evening at home with a book, or a film with one or two close friends, you choose the latter two. |
- Being around others recharges your energy. - At work and at play, you prefer group activities to solitary tasks or hobbies. - You gather and process information by talking: phoning a friend, or discussing with a co-worker. - You problem-solve best in groups. - You enjoy brainstorming sessions and meetings, your ideas are often formed by bouncing them off of others. Left alone to deal with a problem, your mind can run in circles. - For entertainment, you'll pick a social outing over a quiet evening at home. If nothing's going on this weekend, you'll be the one to pull together a group outing. |
What particular skills can introverts bring to the team?
“It’s not that
I’m so smart,” said Einstein (famous introvert). “It’s that I stay with
problems longer.”
Concentration – undisturbed,
introverts can be particularly good at focusing on an issue and puzzling it out.
They frequently excel at research and problem-solving.
Negotiation – thanks
to their tendency to speak quietly and reasonably, to ask questions, and to
listen to the answers, introverts can make unusually strong negotiators.
Reflectiveness,
persistence, sensitivity – introverts commonly show these qualities, just as useful
for a team as gregarious and highly verbal traits.
Deep thinking - introverts
may take longer to react to a question, but make more ‘mental connections’ on
the way. So, the response may contain more substance. 5
Quiet leadership – quieter
leaders, who think first and talk later, suit a workplace populated by
intelligent knowledge workers, in self-managing teams, and particularly
Generation Y. The Wharton research highlighted above gives hard evidence for
this.
Three easy ways to make the most of these talents
Check back, and keep
checking back – make sure quieter people get a chance to contribute in
meetings: don’t just give the floor to the extraverts. Give the thinkers a
chance by prompting for contributions at the time, and by checking back with
them later.
Allow time for them
to innovate... then give credit – accept that some people will need more time
and space, and for introverts this means on their own, to help them come up
with insightful ideas which might become the next big innovation.
Attitude: don’t stereotype, value – an example: “if they only got their acts together they could learn to be extraverts” and “introverts are somehow lower energy” 6. Introverts go deep, and extroverts go wide. Make space in your values for both.
Attitude: don’t stereotype, value – an example: “if they only got their acts together they could learn to be extraverts” and “introverts are somehow lower energy” 6. Introverts go deep, and extroverts go wide. Make space in your values for both.
Five strategic suggestions
Audit your work
spaces – you will already have space where employees can interact and
communicate. It is equally important to have space where employees can be alone
and work undisturbed. Open area concepts, where everyone works in sight of each
other and communicates freely, can represent serious problems for people who
need space to reflect.
“Psychologist
Russell Green ... gave a math problem to
introverts and extroverts to solve with varying levels of background noise. And
he found that the introverts did better when the noise was lower, and the
extroverts did better when the noise was higher.” Susan Cain Harvard Business
Review July 2012 7
Work to introverts’
strengths ... and expand them - clearly the introvert preference will be for
work requiring concentration and focus. With guidance (mentoring, coaching,
stretching assignments) introverts can expand this repertoire and use their
strengths to grow. Introverts who carefully prepare and rehearse presentations
can excel; by networking authentically and deeply they can build strong,
lasting relationships.
Set up situations that
help suit this group - make sure they receive material about what is being
discussed beforehand so they have time to process and reflect. Try to meet with
introverted employees in smaller groups, a less taxing environment. Set up
communities of practice and make social media learning resources available –
both powerful platforms for introverts who can leverage their strengths on their
terms.
Acknowledge the power of quiet leadership – make sure that the quiet leaders are heard and acknowledged. They may be more quiet, but they have the potential for carrying people with them through change far more effectively than loud, directive leaders. A flip side is that they are often more reflective and critical of situations.
Acknowledge the power of quiet leadership – make sure that the quiet leaders are heard and acknowledged. They may be more quiet, but they have the potential for carrying people with them through change far more effectively than loud, directive leaders. A flip side is that they are often more reflective and critical of situations.
They can become
highly effective, like a range of CEOs from Bill Gates to William McKnight (who
helped bring 3M back from the brink of bankruptcy in the 1960s).
Clear the road for
innovation – innovation is key: but truly important, breakthrough innovations
can be missed until it is too late. Managing the tensions between the powerful
organizational mainstream, and fragile new streams produced by innovation
groups, is a central theme in Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s influential When Giants Learn to
Dance 8 . By opening up the channels between quieter people and others, or top
management (extravert) and back-room staff (introvert), you could make all the
difference.
References
1. see First, Break All The Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently - Pocket Books 2005
4. Ones, Deniz S.; Dilchert, Stephan Industrial and Organizational
Psychology: Perspectives on Science and Practice, Vol 2(2), Jun 2009, 163-170
