This week TED Conferences shared a clip of Susan Cain’s famous TED Talk ‘The Power of Introverts’ on their LinkedIn page. Despite the TED Talk having been done in 2012 and it being viewed over thirty-four million times, introversion is still viewed less favourably in the workplace.
Some of the comments on the post highlight that there is still work to be done to increase awareness of the strengths that introverted leaders bring to the workplace. One comment, in particular, stated that leadership was unnatural for the introverted leaders they know.
The person commenting said ‘Introverts perform better in their preferred “zone of stimulation”. But dealing with chaos and lots of people who need your direction is exactly what being a leader often requires. You cannot simply redefine leadership to fit an introvert. This is expecting the world to change for you and is exactly what is wrong with so many people today.’
This demonstrates a misunderstanding of what introversion is. I know many introverted leaders who calmly deal with chaos and lots of people who need their direction. In my days when I was employed as a leader in an organisation, I was referred to as being the calm in a storm.
When their comment was challenged, they went on to say that ‘It's much much more than simply having a clear vision and solutions... you need to get others to follow you. If there is no one who follows you then, by definition, you aren't leading: it's literally in the word. Again, you cannot simply start “redefining" things to be controversial, shocking... etc. or just to do TedTalks. There is a certain kind of charisma that extroverts have the inspire others to follow. This isn't to say that an introvert cannot do that... know many who are great leaders, but they had to do so AGAINST THEIR BASIC NATURE. That is the point, it is unnatural for them and, therefore, stressful.’
Extraversion has readily been accepted as the leadership ideal in many parts of the world, but just because someone is extraverted it doesn’t mean they make a good leader. Neither does it automatically mean that leadership comes naturally to them.
Leadership is much more than charisma, sociability, high energy, quick decision-making, and visibility, characteristics typically associated with extraversion. It is also about deep listening and thoughtfulness, reflecting, empathy, careful decision-making, and creativity, characteristics typically associated with introversion.
I am not saying that introverts make better leaders than extraverts because we need both introverted and extraverted leaders. Leadership teams that have a mix of introverts and extraverts get a better balance in terms of thinking styles, creativity, innovation, and informed decision-making.
I mentioned in a previous edition of this newsletter a review that was done on published literature about extraversion and introversion. This review found that there was far more research on extraversion than on introversion and that there was a lack of research highlighting the limitations of extraversion. Whereas the research on introversion tended to focus on the limitations of the trait.
It is often this unfavourable bias towards introversion that makes it challenging for introverted leaders in the workplace. If such negative views are held about introverted leaders similar to the comments shown, how does this create an environment which is inclusive towards introversion?
This is why I am putting on the first-ever conference for introverted leaders next month in London. The conference challenges stereotypes and shatters preconceived notions about introverted leadership.
The conference is designed specifically for introverted leaders and aspiring leaders to empower you with tools and strategies to help you elevate your career and lead with confidence, influence, and impact.
The benefits of attending for introverted leaders are that not only will you be equipped with the tools and strategies mentioned, but you will also join a network of introverted leaders sharing experiences, and insights, and fostering connections beyond the event.
If the thought of spending the entire day at a conference with other people is already making you feel drained, do not worry. This is not your typical conference and will be introvert friendly. Plus, there will be a quiet space for you to recharge and re-energise throughout the day if you want to.
Given that 49% of introverts report being treated negatively at work because of their introversion, by investing in their leaders' attendance at the conference, employers can boost workplace performance and productivity. Not only for the leaders that attend but the ripple effect it will have on their teams and the wider organisation.
Have you registered for the conference yet? If not, there are just four weeks to go until the conference and you can find out more here. Share details with whoever is responsible for arranging for leaders and aspiring leaders to attend leadership conferences in your organisation so that other introverted leaders can attend.
Also, encourage extraverted colleagues to attend because there is a lot that they can learn to help them make the organisation more inclusive towards introversion. And share details in your personal networks too.
Thanks in advance for doing this and collectively let’s shift perspectives and change the narrative so that everyone recognises that introverts make great leaders too.
So, in response to the question in the title, is leadership unnatural for introverts? It is most definitely not. What do you think?