Introverted leaders and missed opportunities

Anyone who knows me would readily agree that I am not an extroverted or charismatic individual.?I am more reserved, and thoughtful when I speak than a lot of people.?Sarcastic, and dry in my sense of humor, but still more reserved. At times in my life, I have been characterized as “shy” or “timid” because of my reserved nature.?I am neither.?As a young officer right out of field training a lieutenant ordered me into his office and to stand in front of his desk.?In a very matter of fact way he stated, “Brett, you are too timid to make it in this line of work. I do not know if we will fire you or you will just decide to quit, but in 6 months from now you will not be here”, and then he sent me back to work. ?Servant leadership at its best, right? NOT! Later in my career he would be present as I was promoted to Senior Corporal, then to Sergeant, then to Lieutenant, and also present as I was recognized as Officer of the Year, and later as Supervisor of the Year.?My point here is not to brag on my accomplishments, but to illustrate the power and benefit of an introvert leader.

As Susan Cain points out in her book,?Quiet:?The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, she states that “introverts are actually better than extroverts at empathy, sensitivity, connectedness with others, and other social skills that are often misattributed to extroverts. Introverts are not anti-social, but differently socially”. Cain points out that introverted leaders value deeper relationships and engage more in conversations that cannot be achieved in a 5-minute elevator pitch.?As documented in the studies described in Cain’s book, introverted leaders perform better in critical thinking tests and are more innovative than extroverts. Introverts are also better at leading initiative-taking employees, whereas extroverts are better at leading passive employees. So, not say one type is better than the other, but to point out that passing over someone because they are more charismatic in their personality means you might be missing out on a powerful influence in your orginization.

Here are just 3 strengths that separate the Introverted Leader from the Extroverted or Charismatic Leader

1.????Better in critical thinking

2.????More innovative

3.????Better at leading those prone to initiate (where extroverts are better at leading passive employees)

It is tempting to place the more charismatic person to elevated positions of leadership over the more introverted one, but when we start pursuing leadership styles with an understanding that not everyone is motivated by the same thing, we realize that we need different types of leaders.?One size does not fit everyone.