What Introverts Can Learn from Extroverts

Although introvert is often used as synonym for shy, the word simply describes a person who finds energy in solitude. This more thoughtful, introspective approach to life can increase one’s capacity for leadership and productivity.

According to the book Quiet, at least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They’re the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike self-promotion; who favor working on their own over working in teams. We owe many of the great contributions to society to introverts — people like Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss and Steve Wozniak.

I am an extrovert. However, truth be told, I secretly yearn to be an introvert. I have worked closely with many and I truly respect their deliberate thoughtfulness and their consistent, quiet, achieving natures. They think deeply about things and often come up with the greatest ideas.

In a business world that encourages and rewards “thinking on your feet” and being "thought-nimble" – I fear many business leaders are losing out on the contributions of introverts. This has many implications. Firstly, introverts perform best in quiet, private work spaces—but unfortunately we’re trending in precisely the opposite direction, toward open-plan offices. Secondly, if you want to get the best of all your employees’ brains, don’t simply throw them into a meeting and assume you’re hearing everyone’s ideas. You’re not; you’re hearing from the most vocally assertive people. Ask people to put their ideas in writing before the meeting, and make sure you give everyone time to speak.

Despite the benefits of being an introvert, extroverts still dominate the business world. That’s because these gregarious types command attention. Rather than being frustrated by extroverts, introverts should instead take a few cues from them, such as:

Look outward: It feels natural to an introvert to be alone when you feel overwhelmed. It may be helpful from time to time, however, to take an extroverted approach and ask others for help. Getting outside perspective on your problems may more quickly uncover practical solutions.

Small talk: Chit chat comes easy for most extroverts, but can feel like pulling teeth for an introvert. Networking is important, so it’s worthwhile to learn from your outgoing peers. Come up with a list of icebreakers to use in uncomfortable situations and then improve your communication skills by attending more events and forcing yourself to strike up conversations.

Take risks: Introverts tend to overthink everything. Spending too much time analyzing options and considering outcomes, however, can keep you from taking risks that lead to great rewards. From time to time, be more open to new opportunities and take action with a little less planning.

Connect: Yes, you want to focus on your work (that’s not a bad thing), but taking an interest in your peers can help advance your career. While being introspective and thoughtful are definite strengths, make sure you take an interest in those around you and get to know your peers. You don’t need to go to every after work function or be overly verbose at work – but use your observant nature to really understand your boss and peers to build a greater connection with them.

Be proactive: Extroverts don’t wait for opportunity to find them—they seek it out. Introverts who don’t want to be left in the dust can learn from this approach. Get on your industry’s radar by being friendly, attending events, and taking risks in reaching out to people you admire.

It might seem a little unfair if you are an introvert, to have to become more extroverted to get ahead in business. However to be fair, extroverts have a LOT to learn from introverts which I covered in my earlier Pulse article here.

Are you introverted? Do you feel like business is more tailored to extroverts? How have you used your introversion to your favor? What are some of the extroverted traits you have had to adopt?