Are extroverts always the best leaders? Or can introverts, in fact, make better leaders?

To assess whether or not extroverts or introverts are better leaders, it is necessary to clarify the following concepts or definitions: what is an extrovert, an introvert and a leader? In academic literature there are many definitions of these concepts, we have chosen one definition for each concept.

“Extroverts can often be characterized as charismatic, social, larger than life, visionary, team-oriented, and gain energy from being around other people” (Jung, 1971).

“Introverts have been characterized as those who prefer solace, are analytical, thinkers, prefer working alone than working in large groups, reflective, reserved, gain energy from ideas and are often exhausted by social situations” (Jung, 1971).

 “A leader has the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or a set of goals” (Dries, 2018).

It is obvious that the definitions of extroverts and introverts are very stereotype. These two definitions reflect the extremity ends of a larger continuum. In fact, extroversion and introversion aren’t fixed categories. Precisely in the middle of the above mentioned continuum are the so-called ‘ambiverts’, people who have exactly the same amount of characteristics from extroverts and introverts. Academics agree that people’s position on the continuum is strongly inborn, but that these positions can also fluctuate during life due to personal desires and expectations of others (Walsh, 2012).

While extroversion and introversion are preferences, individuals can learn to overcome those tendencies or to stretch themselves into different characteristics. Preferences mean a preferred way to interact within one’s world, but it does not mean that an individual will always act in that same manner, but it is the style that is most comfortable (Farrell, 2017). Subsequently it is important to notice that people don’t necessarily always behave according to their preference on the continuum. It is possible that someone who is located at the extreme extroversion end on the continuum can be a very introverted person in some specific situations, e.g. in the workplace, and vice-versa. So it’s obvious that your indication of a person as an extrovert or an introvert can be very dependent on the situation and context. 

The last thing to talk about in the introduction is the word ‘better’ in the title. When is leader A better than leader B? This is a very subjective question. Leader A can be a better leader according to employee X, but leader B can be a better leader according to employee Y. The better leader can also differ according to the situation, in situation X leader A can be better and in situation Y leader B can be better. So it’s obvious that the question whether extroverts or introverts are better leaders is a very difficult question.

Arguments pro introversion

1. Active listening and empathy

According to several studies, introverts make better leaders than extroverts. One reason to say this, is that introverted leaders are more successful because they really listen to what other people have to say (Grant, Gino & Hofmann, 2010; McDowell, 2012). Active listening is one of the most important characteristics of introverts. They absorb the details much better than extroverts and think well before they say something (Addis, 2018).

Introverted leaders often win the full trust of their employees by showing their interest in the goals, passions and ideas of others. They are always well prepared, listen actively, read body language, control emotion and search for win-win solutions (Addis, 2018). Introverted leaders are also a lot more receptive to suggestions from their employees than extroverted leaders (Grant, Gino & Hofmann, 2010; McDowell, 2012). Introverts have the tendency to give their employees more space and freedom to explore their ideas without dominating them with their own ideas, while extroverts feel rather attacked by other people’s ideas and might not appreciate them on their real potential value (Casemore, 2017; Saunderson, 2017). Wharton professor Adam Grant and leadership expert Jim Collins agree that introverted leaders perform better than extroverted leaders, just because they allow employees to get started with their own ideas (Cain, 2015). Unlike extroverts, introverted people don’t want to be the centre of attention all the time. Due to this and the fact that they are good listeners, introverted leaders often get more access to new and good ideas from their employees (McDowell, 2012). A field study was carried out, in which questionnaires were distributed amongst managers and employees within 130 franchises. The results showed that when employees offered ideas to the leader, so when employees were proactive, the profits were 14% higher compared to when the leader was an extrovert (Grant, Gino & Hofmann, 2010). So introverts are great listeners and can engage an audience in thoughtful discussion through asking useful questions to their conversation partners. The skill of active listening is very useful if you are leading an organisation with very proactive employees (Dodge, 2017; Farrell, 2017; Saunderson, 2017). In addition, a laboratory experiment was carried out in which 163 students were asked to fold as many T-shirts as possible within 10 minutes. A leader was appointed for each group. To manipulate the behaviour of these leaders, they had to read an article in advance. Some read an article in which extroverted leaders were honoured and others read an article describing more benefits of introverted leadership. In addition, two individuals were appointed to display a proactive behaviour, i.e. suggest a better way to fold up the T-shirts. Within this experiment, the group led by an introverted leader performed better and had an average of 28% more folded T-shirts than those groups with an extroverted leader. This is because the introverted leaders listen more carefully, making the employees feel more valued and motivated to work harder, while the extroverted leaders feel more threatened or challenged by these proactive employees and do not respond to them (Grant, Gino & Hofmann, 2010).

Besides the above described characteristics, introverted leaders also have a lot of empathy and show a high intelligence quotient, but it is primarily their emotional intelligence that gives them an advantage over extroverted leaders. They have, more so than extroverts, the ability to recognize feelings and use them to motivate, inspire and direct employees. They have a gift of putting themselves in the other person's place and seeing things from his or her point of view (Addis, 2018). According to Tommy Spaulding, these leadership qualities that are often seen as soft - such as humility, vulnerability and empathy - can be very effective strengths (Mink, 2015). In a study with Memorial and McMaster universities in 1999, 480 students were asked to assess each other's leadership qualities after working together in teams for a whole semester. The study determined that characteristics such as intelligence and care were more important than extroversion when referring to a good leader (McDowell, 2012).

2. Well considered decision-making process

A second reason why introverts make great leaders is that they don’t make rash decisions. They tend to listen first, then think about all the information they received and try to gather extra information that they might have missed the first time. This gives them the opportunity to oversee all the different important factors of a decision and to include a diversity of ideas and broad feedback before making a final call. Their strong analytical skills also come in handy when dealing with complex issues where there isn’t a clear yes or no answer (Addis, 2018; Cain, 2015; Farrell, 2017; Knack, 2012; McDowell, 2012; Saunderson, 2017; Walsh, 2012). Overseeing all the important elements also gives the leader a chance to see how his or her decision will impact the long term future of the company/country/organisation (Knack, 2012).

Because introverts are more careful, circumspect and detailed in their decision-making process, they need more time to make decisions than extrovert leaders do. This can be a disadvantage, but most of the time it is an advantage. Mainly because this trait helps to prevent them making rash and too risky decisions that could have terrible consequences. Studies also have showed that this awareness for risks even makes introverts better gamblers than extroverts. Just think about Warren Buffet, the world’s greatest investor, who’s also considered to be an introverted person (Farrell, 2017; Knack, 2012; Walsh, 2012). Nowadays, with the social media hype, it is a good thing that introverted leaders don’t act hastily. Introverts won’t just post things online without thinking about what the consequences could be, while extroverts are more impulsive in their decisions towards what to post (Saundersen, 2017).

Many people often see the behaviour of introverted leaders or employees as antisocial or shy. This is not the case. For introverted people, being in a crowded room with lots of different stimuli is just very exhausting. Far more exhausting as for extroverted people that flourish in places like this (Addis, 2018; Farrell, 2017; Walsh, 2012). But because of the technological progress, there are lots of other options besides face-to-face meetings nowadays. A big part of the communication between the leader and his employees can be done over the internet or the telephone (Addis, 2018; Weinstein, 2017).

As mentioned before, introverts don’t feel very comfortable in large groups or when they have to speak in front of large audiences. That is why they prepare very well before a meeting or a conference. They don’t rely on their charisma like some extroverts, but instead put all their focus on substance and strategy. This helps them to be more confident while speaking in front of the audience, which is also a positive thing because they tend to have more knowledge about the subject, making it easier to answer any questions afterwards (Cain, 2015; Dodge, 2017; McDowell, 2012).

 3. Adapting one’s behaviour to a context or situation

For the third argument, we want to refer back to the fact that being an extroverted or introverted leader depends strongly on the context, as mentioned in the introduction. Different situations require different approaches and therefore it is important for a leader to adapt to these situations and find the right balance between leading and listening (Grant, 2013). An organisation can only function to its full capability if it has a leader with a wide set of skills who knows how and when to use those skills and competences (Farrell, 2017). Because introversion and extroversion are on a spectrum, one could argue that the perfect leader masters skills of both ends of this continuum, depending on what the circumstances require. However, introverts are more aware of this need and tend to alter their behaviour more quickly than extroverts. Thus our third argument why introverts make better leaders focuses on the ability to adjust one’s dominant characteristics when desirable and on the understanding of what method of leading will be most effective depending on the situation.

According to psychologist Elaine Aron, introverted people are more sensitive for stimulation. As a result, those who are often wrongfully perceived as shy and even antisocial, are in fact more aware of their surroundings than their extroverted counterparts. Because of their previously mentioned emotional intelligence, they pick up easily on employees’ body language and are able to read a situation without difficulty. Introverted leaders will also be more likely to listen and even ask for feedback from their employees. Consequently, introverts recognise when their behaviour is out of line (Walsh, 2012). This awareness and understanding of one’s surroundings, combined with self-knowledge and the ability to self-reflect, allows the introverted leader to learn what type of situation requires what kind of behaviour and adapt accordingly (Stephens-Craig, 2015).

It is important to note that although introverts are open to suggestions and know how to handle criticism, this does not necessarily mean that they find this feedback easy to cope with. Extroverts have a tendency to speak up when they feel mistreated and will be quick to defend their behaviour as correct, whereas introverts are more likely to internalise this struggle (Walsh, 2012). Nevertheless, it is their considerate nature and their strong awareness of what a situation or person requires, that allows them to create the right environment for their employees and company to thrive.

Arguments pro extroversion

1. Social skills and self-confidence

According to researchers, extroversion is associated with leadership behaviour. Since extroverts are more likely to assert themselves in groups, it makes sense that these individuals often take on leadership roles when working with other people (Cherry, 2018). In our western society, when one imagines an effective leader typically the image is a dynamic, charismatic individual who works well with people, including the ability to motivate and inspire a group. Thus, extroverts are often regarded superior to their introvert counterparts.

Extroverts are perceived to be better leaders since they tend to have strong social skills, are decisive, command attention, and willing to take risk (Farrell, 2017). Extroverted leadership involves commanding the centre of attention, being able to act fast and think quickly, being outgoing, assertive, bold, talkative and dominant. This offers the advantages of providing a clear authority structure and direction (Knowledge@Wharton, 2018). Besides being assertive in groups, extroverts could be better leaders due to their expressive nature or the contagion of their positive emotionality. Those with high levels of extroversion are often described as having a very positive outlook on life as well as being friendly, energetic, approachable and highly adaptable.

A first argument why extroverts are better leaders is composed of the following topics: social skills and self-confidence.

Leadership calls for the ability to work well with people, communicate with stakeholders, participate in and lead meetings, and often public speaking. As a leader advances within an organization, expectations increase for the individual to engage with others as they spend more time working with colleagues and stakeholders to advance the organization. These expectations tend to favour extroverts in leadership roles. In line with the introduction above, an extrovert is someone who draws energy and ideas externally using social interactions and team brainstorming to develop ideas and inspiration. They process information with others and solve problems through discussion. An extroverted leader may thrive in an environment of constant conversation and interaction while such an environment is exhausting for an introverted leader (Farrell, 2017). In the present turbulent environment it’s important that you are able to thrive in busy, stimulating environments. With their exceptional communication skills, extroverts are also considered team players. A definite edge in today’s corporate world, which is why they are often seen occupying leadership positions in various companies.

Leaders have to gather, merge, and interpret large amounts of information. These requirements are higher today than ever before because of rapid technological development. Leaders have to be decisive and confident, they need to be able to make swift decisions, solve problems quickly, and initiate rapid changes. In this regard, self-confidence plays an important role. Obviously, if the leader is not sure which decision to make, or expresses a high degree of doubt, then his followers are less likely to trust him and be committed to the vision. Not only the leader's self-confidence matters, but his/her own perception with others. Self-confident leaders are more assertive and determined, which gains the confidence of others in the execution of the vision (Grubi?-Ne?i?, Kati?, & Lali? , 2014). Assertiveness, decisiveness and quick decision making are three personality traits which are dominantly linked to extroverts. Many studies have reported a moderate positive relationship between extroversion and self-confidence (r=0.30–0.37), leading to the observation that individuals who are more extroverted generally report higher levels of self-confidence (Abrams, 1988; Francis, 1997; Kawash, 1982) (Swickert et al., 2004).

2. Quick and creative decision-making process

In order to get to the second argument why extroverts tend to be better leaders, we refer back to the second argument we have discussed on why introverted leaders are better. We have already seen that making decisions is an important task of being a leader in a company. Introverted people handle this task in a different way than extroverted people. The question whether one’s decision-making process is better than someone else’s, requires some further explanation.

Introverted leaders will, as mentioned before in this paper, have a clear view of all the options, gather extra information and carry out a detailed reflection of the situation. We think we can describe the decision-making process of an introverted person as a ‘think-talk-think-talk-…’ process. This is by no means a bad or a wrong way to make decisions, but the introverted leader simply takes a longer time to come to a final decision and internalises a big part of this process, which isn’t always ideal in every situation (Donders, et al. 2003).

As AsapSCIENCE (2018) mentions, creativity comes from a social place. Extroversion draws energy and ideas externally, using social connections to develop those ideas and inspiration even further. This means that extroverts often process information with others, think through problems in group and talk about ideas rather than internalising this process. Stephens-Craig, Kuofie & Dool (2015) state that extroverts generally look at the big picture and not so much at the details, which also contributes to their quick decision-making. Extroverts thrive in busy, stimulating environments with an outward orientation (Farrell, 2017).

Thus, an extroverted person favours to communicate with other people. He or she also learns the best through discussion about the subject with others. When they brainstorm with their team, the ideas arise quickly. The extroverted type tends to talk first and then reflect. Whilst the introverted type reflects first and talks afterwards. To others, the extrovert’s approach can come across as rash thinking, but during meetings this method is actually extremely helpful to come up with new and creative ideas (Donders, et al. 2003).

3. Society’s expectations

A third argument we found as to why extroverts make better leaders than introverts is that the world expects extroverts to be better. The current world is designed for extroverts to thrive and reach their full potential (Knack, 2012; Kuofie, Stephens-Craig & Dool, 2015). A study conducted in de US states that their current corporate culture actually favours extrovert employees to become leaders of companies. As mentioned before, many CEOs believe that some important traits of a leader are that he or she is able to command the attention of his or her employees without much effort, inspires others, is able to communicate his or her vision to large crowds and feels confident in any social situation. This generally accepted view on who the best leader is makes people subconsciously believe that extroverts are more suited to take on leaderships positions, as the above listed traits are more associated with extroverted people rather than introverted ones. Moreover, this even leads to the fact that employees find it easier to accept an extrovert as their leader than an introvert (Kova?evi?, ?ismi? & Mihailovi?, 2014; Kuofie, Stephens-Craig & Dool, 2015).

Another study that was conducted by the University of British Columbia in 2013 researched the likelihood of extroverts being hired in contrast to introverts who applied for the same job. First, they used a narcissistic scale to determine if an applicant showed more signs of extroversion or introversion. Afterwards, the applicants attended a regular job interview followed by the company dividing the applicants in a group of people they would hire and a group of people they wouldn’t. The results of this study showed that extroverts are more likely to get hired, as there was a significantly larger representation of people that showed signs of extroversion in the group of participants that the company would consider hiring. Therefore this study shows us that even the interview process favours extroverts above introverts (Kuofie, Stephens-Craig & Dool, 2015).

In conclusion we see that in today’s corporate world, extroversion traits are – even if subconsciously – favoured over introversion traits when it comes to leadership positions. We can even conclude that this favouritism already starts in the early stages of the application process, giving introverted people a smaller change to get hired in the first place. Therefore we can say that introverts are obligated to live in a world were extroverts are favoured, where extroverts have more chances to flourish and where extroverts are also more easily accepted in leaderships positions.

At first, most of us would have argued that extroverted people are simply better leaders. Reasons for this thinking include an extrovert’s will to lead, their ability to assert themselves in groups and spontaneously take a leadership role upon themselves, and their capability to motivate their employees and make them feel comfortable. However, many could conclude that introverted leaders are simply underestimated. We as a society have to give them a fair chance and set aside the prejudices about them. As our research continued, we all noticed that our thinking about extroverts and introverts was rather stereotype. “An introverted person is simply too shy for a leadership role and extroverts are very social, charismatic and made to be a leader.” According to literature, some strengths that are typical for more introverted leaders are that they are a bit more empathic than extroverts, that they are very good listeners, are always well-prepared, think more about the consequences, allow proactive employees to get started with their own ideas, etc. Extroverts, on the other hand, are known for having strong social skills, being decisive, command attention, being assertive and willing to take risk. During the process of writing this paper, we tried to stop thinking about extroversion and introversion as labels, and instead used the research to conclude on one thing. Extroversion and introversion are two types of leadership placed at the end of a very long spectrum with each their specific merit. Research shows that in order to be successful, there is no direct causal relationship between exclusive introvert or extrovert behaviour, as there are many people and leaders who found a balance between the two more extreme personality traits. Thus, we as a society should stray away from our stereotypical views. This means that the best leader is neither an introvert nor an extrovert, and that there is no such thing as ‘the best leader’. A great leader is someone who is able to assess the situation and their employees, someone who can adapt and knows how to react in an appropriate way. A great leader is someone who can combine the strong points of both introversion and extroversion and who knows what situation requires what type of leadership approach.

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