Are you nurturing your introverts as future leaders?
Your Weekly Inspiration with Lily Woi
A weekly newsletter inspires you to take action and unlock greater performance in your organisation, your team, your career and most of all in yourself. All in 10 minutes or less.
?? Focus of the Week: The power of introverts?
Have a quick look at your executive team - what kind of leaders are they?
Most often, they are described as outgoing, charismatic, confident, self-assured, and assertive—characteristics usually associated with extroverts.
How about your introverts? Where do they fit in your leadership population??
An article in the Harvard Business Review shows that the higher a manager's position, the more likely they are to be extroverted. Introverts tend to get stuck in low—and middle-level managerial positions.?
Some 65% of senior executives still see introversion as a “barrier to leadership,” and only 6% think introverts have the people skills required to oversee a successful team.
Yes, there are high-profile introverted leaders on the news, such as Bill Gates, Marissa Mayer and Mark Zuckerberg, but they’re not the norm.?
Does this surprise you??
Not me…we are living in a world built for extroverts.?
That means introverts need to work harder to demonstrate their leadership potential, and often, the misguided way they have been told is to be more extroverted.
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That is the single most damaging advice you can give to an introvert - stripping away their uniqueness to be someone they’re not.
Introverts have a wealth of leadership skills that complement extroverts, such as being naturally more observant, reflective, perceptive, deliberate, and calm. That’s why both exist!?
However, traditional leadership development does not develop future leaders who are introverts.?
It is because it is often skills-based and lacks psychological development. This aspect helps leaders rethink their worldview and mindset and supports them in figuring out how to use their uniqueness as their strengths.?
I’ve personally gone on this journey in Deloitte, figuring out how to navigate a successful career and leadership role without being extroverted.?
Since then, I’ve helped introverts break into senior leadership positions and worked with companies to rethink their leadership development and succession to be more holistic and benefit all personality types.?
Interested to explore if you're providing the right development for your future leaders? Schedule a 30 minutes call with me. I’ll run you through my P.A.C.T.? Leadership Framework assessment.
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Warm regards,
Lily
Lily Woi - People & Culture Catalyst?
Respectfully, I think your post makes a bit of a blanket statement. Introverts ARE natural leaders? Maybe. They can be. However, being an introvert doesn’t make one any more natural a leader than being an extrovert does.
Student
4 个月Thanks for sharing