I read an
article three or four years ago by Zachary Crockett in The Hustle.
Talking to
son-in-law Heath in L.A. over an Oscar Party Buffet at San Vicente Bungalows in
West Hollywood (he is a self-confessed introvert and a terrific leader) made me
think about this topic again.
Here’s the
essence of Mr Crockett’s argument.
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A myth has
pervaded the business world for far too long: introverts aren’t cut out to be
leaders.
Some 65% of
senior executives see introversion as a “barrier to leadership,” and only 6% think introverts
have the people skills required to oversee a successful team.
Many
businesses have a singular vision for what a good leader should be — outgoing,
gregarious, an expert networker — and write off introversion as some kind of
social “pathology.”
This is
complete nonsense.
What
is an introvert?
First
categorized by Carl Jung in the 1920s, an introvert is most commonly defined as
someone who gets his or her energy from alone
time rather than socialising.
Unlike
their extrovert counterparts who get energy from other people, introverts are
typically introspective, quiet (but not necessarily shy), and observant.
Introverts: Extroverts:
Get
energy from inside themselves Get
energy from interaction, people
Often
shy Often
sociable
Have
different public and private selves Same
in public and private
Have
a few close friends Make
lots of friends easily
Quiet
in large groups Outspoken
in groups
Can
concentrate for long stretches Distracted
easily
Mentally
rehearse before speaking Think
out loud
Need
time to make decisions Make
decisions quickly
Learn
by observing Learn
by doing
Intense Expansive
Tend
to bottle up emotions Unload
emotions as they go
Introverts
and extroverts may seem like polar opposites on paper, but there is often
overlap — and nobody falls purely in either camp.
Of course,
introverts define themselves in many different ways.
The Hustle surveyed 421 introverts who
currently work in leadership roles. Here are a few definitions in their own
words:
- “An
introvert is someone who prefers isolated scenarios… someone who isn’t
necessarily anti-social but someone who excels with internal workflow.” — David
Acosta, co-founder of Rebel PR
- “To
me, it means I get refreshed and rejuvenated by having some quiet time to
myself on a regular basis.” — Dan
Purcell, co-founder of Ever In Touch
- “Being
an introvert doesn’t mean you’re a loser or socially awkward, it just
means you need to be alone when others need to be with people.” — Kevin
Pasco, co-founder of Nested Natural
Nobody is
a pure introvert
or extrovert (most are in-betweeners, or “ambiverts”). But in general, it is
estimated that 33%-50%
of the population skews introverted.
Yet, in the
business world — especially among leaders — this isn’t the case:
- 96%
of high-level executives identify as
extroverts.
- There
is a strong, scientifically proven bias against candidates who fall on the
other end of the spectrum.
- In studies,
extroversion is consistently ranked as the most important trait a leader
can have.
This has a
lot to do with how we’ve historically thought about leadership.
How
culture defines “leadership”
In the
most basic sense, leadership is “the process of influencing others in a manner
that enhances their contribution to the realisation of group goals.”
At some
point, society’s perception of a “good” leader shifted from someone who
encourages collective success to a singular, charismatic titan — an outward
spokesman more interested in public perception than team building.
Hundreds
of studies spanning more than a century have attempted to identify what makes a
good leader.
One such
study, led by workplace development consultants Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman,
asked 300k+ business professionals to rank the top traits they look for in
leaders. The consensus:
Traits of
a Good Leader:
1) Inspires
and motivates others
2) Displays
high integrity and honesty
3) Displays
technical or professional expertise
4) Drives for
results
5) Communicates
powerfully
6) Builds
relationships
7) Develops
others
8) Displays a
strategic perspective
9) Solves
problems, analyses issues
10) Innovates
Introverts
are more than capable of exhibiting most of the traits of a traditionally
“good” leader.
None of these
traits seem at odds with the nature of introverts.
But in our
survey, 71% of
respondents said they believed there was a stigma against
hiring introverts into leadership roles.
Why is
this the case? Mythology!
Myth
#1: Introverts shy away from leadership roles
One of the
pervading myths about introverts is that they simply don’t want to be leaders. That’s
not the case.
Introverts
have emerged as leaders in every arena. Among them:
- Michael
Jordan, arguably the biggest sports star in
history
- Audrey
Hepburn, one of Hollywood’s all-time great
actresses
- Mahatma
Gandhi, the leader of India’s nonviolent
revolution
- One-quarter
of all US Presidents, including Thomas Jefferson, Abe
Lincoln, and Barack Obama
In the
business world, some of the most prominent founders, inventors, investors, and
technologists — Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Jeff Bezos, and many more — are
self-identifying introverts.
Well-Known
Introvert Leaders:
·
Bill Gates
·
Jeff Bezos
·
Elon Musk
·
Sergey Brin
·
Marissa Mayer
·
Warren Buffett
·
Peter Thiel
·
Steve Wozniak
·
Mark Zuckerberg
As it
turns out, many of the introvert traits that the business world considers to be
detrimental and negative can actually be tremendous strengths in a leadership
capacity.
Myth
#2: Introverts don’t have the “people skills” to lead
Many
business professionals associate “people skills” with “charisma,” and charisma
with effective leadership. There are a few problems with that chain of logic.
Recently,
researchers analysed a database of 17k executives and found that, while a
charismatic person was more than 2x as likely to be hired as a CEO, this didn’t correlate with a better
performance once they were hired. In the same study,
introverted leaders far outperformed expectations.
While
introverted leaders aren’t as outwardly bubbly as extroverted leaders, they are
more attuned to emotional cues and sensory details.
In fact,
introverts experience more blood flow to the frontal lobes and thalamus — areas
of the brain that deal with internal processing and problem-solving.
Researchers have posited that this offers them a leg up in working through
complex personal situations on small teams.
Myth
#3: Introverts are bad communicators
It’s easy
to misinterpret an introvert’s internal processing as disinterest. But per our
survey responses, most introverts are just methodical thinkers:
“I’ll
spend a lot of time going over scenarios in my head before actually saying or
doing anything,” says John
Sherwin, CEO of the pharmaceutical startup Hydrant. “It’s rare
that I put a completely unfiltered thought or plan out in the open.”
Our survey
elicited dozens of responses from leaders who said their introversion made them
better listeners:
- “I tend to let other people talk,
really listen to what they’re saying, then come in with less words that
are more powerful.” — Kevin
Pasco, co-founder of Nested Naturals (supplment company)
- “As an introvert, you’re more
likely to pick up on emotion and subtle cues from the people you work
with, which makes you more effective at negotiating and motivating.”
— Vesy Ivanova,
founding partner of Brand Strategy Agency (creative consulting)
- “Introverts
have the ability to listen to hear, not just listen to respond,” — Kellie Knapp, law
firm administrator
Research
has shown that introverts use more concrete, precise language when describing
things. They may take longer to contribute, but when they do speak up, they
make sure their contributions are well-developed and valuable.
This way
of communicating can actually be beneficial in a leadership capacity.
Myth
#4: Introverts don’t like collaborating
While
introverts generally prefer to work alone, they also excel in working toward a
collaborative goal — especially in a dynamic, unpredictable environment like a
start-up.
In fact,
in our survey, 89%
of introverted leaders said they enjoyed professional collaboration.
A Harvard study
found that extroverts excel at leading passive teams (employees who simply
follow commands), but are actually far less effective at leading “proactive” teams where everyone
contributes ideas.
Introverts
are often more effective than extroverts at leading proactive teams because
they don’t feel threatened by collaborative input, are more receptive to
suggestions, and are more attentive to micro expressions.
These
benefits can a measurable impact on profitability and productivity.
Researchers
analysed 57 managers and 374 employees at 130 branches of a major pizza chain
and found that franchises led by introverts were 20% more profitable than
franchises led by extroverts.
In another
study, researchers broke 163 students into 56 groups — some led by an
introvert, and others by an extrovert — and had the teams fold as many t-shirts
as they could in 10 minutes. They concluded that teams led by the introverts
were also up to 28% more productive.
Proactive
teams led by introverts are both more productive and more profitable than
proactive teams led by extroverts.
“The
extroverted leaders appeared threatened by and unreceptive to proactive
employees,” concluded the study. “The introverted leaders listened carefully
and made employees feel valued, motivating them to work hard.”
The
takeaway: Tips for aspiring introvert leaders
As an
introvert, it’s easy to feel as if the very foundations of business leadership
are engineered against you — especially considering that today’s tech czars are
as much celebrities as CEOs.
But
introverts have unique personality traits that can empower them to be exceptional
leaders if properly leveraged.
We asked
successful introvert founders to share some techniques they’ve used to harness
the power of their introversion. Here’s a selection of what they said:
- Balance
your time: For every 1-hour meeting, make sure to
plan at least 30 minutes to yourself.
- Get
out of your own head: Write down all your ideas and
share them with someone you trust. Don’t rob the world of your internal
genius.
- Be
unapologetically genuine: Don’t try to be an extrovert,
or force yourself to be more outgoing or bubbly.
- Optimise
for deeper (rather than broad) relationships:
I need to know someone quite well to feel comfortable asking things of
them, and ultimately these relationships end up being more rewarding both
personally and professionally.
- Be
clear about your thought process:
Introverts store thoughts for a long time before speaking; be sure to make
your process transparent.
- Actionise
your observations: As an outsider looking in, you
offer a unique viewpoint; turn all your listening and observing into
actionable suggestions.
Go the
Introverts!
(Thank you
Zachary Crockett and The Hustle.)
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