The gift of being the quiet one

Hi fellow introverts, I'm writing to encourage you today. All of my life I've been known as the quiet one. I am quiet. People tend point it out but no one has to tell me, I know I am. I've been in Corporate America for over 20 years and have navigated that environment being quiet. At times, I've been successful and other times, not so much. I have learned a lot about myself during my time in the professional arena.

In my head, the words sound great but when I use my voice, it comes across as awkward. However, the gift of quiet is actually a great thing for me because it allows me to observe the dynamics of situation (who are the true leaders in a group, how an individual processes information, and what are the issues interfering with getting to a solution). Fellow introverts, you have these same abilities too. Use them to your advantage and create an opportunity to enhance your surroundings.

Do not allow the quiet reference to get to you. You are an asset to any organization. Let me share a few tidbits that have helped me over the last 23 years.

1) Allow yourself time to process your thinking. Agendas can be your friend. If you have access to an agenda, review it before hand and determine how you want to process through a topic. Write down the points you want to make. Practice saying them and refer to those points during the meeting.

2) Be courageous. Off the cuff conversations tend to stress us out. When there is an impromptu request to share, go first. Count to 4 then, say what is in your gut. It does not matter if the person after you or the person after that got a 'oh, good one' or 'ah, very profound'. You did it, you went first! I consider that a huge accomplishment. Your ideas are amazing and great too.

3) Recognize the value you bring to your role, team, project, etc. Think about the compliments you get. Are you a good listener? Think about what comes easy to you but not to others. Then, use those gifts in your work. For instance, I am curious, love to read, and collect 'information' (it's usually random but that's for another time). In turn, I ask lots of questions. I see patterns in large amounts of information. The formation of patterns allow me to set incremental goals, breakdown large bodies of work, and complete multiple projects simultaneously.

By the way, my introversion almost stopped me from posting this. However, I exercised some courage. Leaders, discover the abilities of introverts. Introverts are a secret weapon. We are a force! I've been given the name, the quiet storm, from time to time.

#introvertstruggles #introverts #courage #encouragement