~Introverts success secrets that extroverts can learn from~ This monday, we would have us know that: You dont need to be loud to be effective is something extroverts must understand. This teaches introverts how to be effective at leading and relating but it also shows that extrovert dont have to be noisy to make a mark. Read on and tell us if you learnt anything useful: Editors Note: Thinking Business focuses on the psychology of getting ahead in the workplace by exploring techniques to boost employee performance, increase creativity and productivity. Imagine youre in a meeting at work. Everyone else is throwing out ideas, talking loudly and debating. You know you should say something but its hard to get a word in so you sit in anxious silence. Then disaster strikes. Your boss looks over at you and says: What do you think? In that instant, your brain freezes and you cant think of a thing to say. If youve ever been tongue-tied in a meeting, desperate to escape after-work drinks or stressed out in an open-plan office, chances are youre an introvert. One quarter to half of us are introverts, depending on which study you look at. Introversion unpacked Introverts are often misunderstood. Its really about energy, says Marti Olsen Laney, a psychotherapist and author of The Introvert Advantage. Introverts generate energy through reflection and quiet time while an extraverts energy is increased by spending time in busy, stimulating places often with lots of people around, according to Olsen Laney. Introversion and extroversion are real -- and even genetic -- and genuinely change the way the world looks to those people, says Dan Cable, Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School. The key is not to think about two categories but a continuum, notes Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Professor of Business Psychology at University College London and author of Confidence: The Surprising Truth About How Much You Need And How to Get It. Most people are actually in the middle, he says, adding that each category can have characteristics of the other. Unlike Asian cultures, which are much more accepting of introverts, the West has long been biased towards extraverts, he says. Leadership myth The conventional wisdom, backed up by decades of studies, is that extraverts make better leaders. This idea is based on the false premise that activity equates to productivity, that confidence signals competence, says Chamorro-Premuzic. A 2011 study by Harvard Business School, the University of Pennsylvanias Warton School and University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School found that while introverts and extraverts were evenly matched in the general population, 96% of managers and executives displayed extravert qualities. The researchers also found that although extraverts show many of the strengths people associate with leadership -- like decisiveness -- the less obvious leadership qualities that introverts display can be more important in day-to-day teamwork. You really see a pattern of being conscientious, wanting to do a good job, being creative, good at problem solving. Theyre really good at one-on-one kinds of work, says Olsen Laney. Making it work Tazeen Ahmad is one person who has used her introversion to excel in the competitive world of broadcast journalism. The secret to any success Ive had has been embracing my introversion, she says. It means I process things much more. I think deeper, which often leads to better ideas. Shes been a foreign correspondent for U.S. network NBC and has won awards for her hard-hitting work as a reporter for Channel 4s investigations show Dispatches in the UK. She says that the stories she tells often deal with terrible loss or big traumatic experiences -- and her subjects may have suffered abuse. Ive asked them pertinent, difficult questions. I hope I come across as who I am -- authentic and genuine -- so they can see that Im interested in their story, not just as a journalist, but as a person. Ahmad now regularly shares her wisdom at sell-out classes for introverts at The School of Life in London. Her latest class is about how introverts can network in a way that works for them. If you go to a networking event and you can walk away with one or two good connections that you feel are going to pay off, rather than 15 that arent (thats success), she says. Ahmad also suggested going to networking events with an extravert friend. Work the room together. They will make the connection and you will make it deeper. Bridging the gap Introverts can often feel overstimulated in meetings and in open-plan offices. Everything they are doing there drains energy, whereas for an extrovert all those things give them energy, explains Olsen Laney. In those situations, introverts can find it hard to think or make on-the-spot comments. Olsen Laney says introverts have to develop skills to tell extroverts what is going on with them. When an introvert is sitting in a meeting and not participating, others can read disinterest, she says. To combat this, she says introverts should practice non-verbal ways of showing they are engaged, like taking notes, or giving silent cues to the people who are talking. Because they need private time to reflect, Olsen Laney suggests they approach their boss after a meeting, and offer to send their thoughts via email. Beating the odds Introverts can thrive in any work environment, but its about knowing what works for you, says Nancy Ancowitz, a business coach and author of Self-Promotion for Introverts. She says many of her clients work in very extroverted industries, like sales and trading. Reflect upon when you come up with your best ideas, when you do your best work, when you are in your zone. Most introverts I have worked with find its usually about collecting those ideas in alone time when they can write something down or (have) quiet time, she says. For Ancowitzs money, though, the most powerful thing an introvert can do is learn public speaking skills. The beauty of public speaking is that its not hard to learn. As long as you can speak to one person you can speak to a thousand. From Introverts secrets of success by Mairi Mackay, for CNN So?
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 23:38:44 +0000
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