Introverts in Leadership

Episode Transcript

Hello! 

Welcome to the Daring to Succeed podcast.

My name is Julianna Yau Yorgan and I’m a career coach who helps introverts succeed in the workplace by unleashing their introvert superpowers.

Today, I’m going to talk about:

Misconceptions about leadership traits,

What makes introverts strong leaders, and

How to promote your introvert leadership strengths

I chose this topic because so many people have the idea of this extravagant, Jerry Maguire or Wolf of Wallstreet idea of what a leader should be. 

So let’s dive right into the misconceptions about what a great leader has to look like… 

Versus what effective leadership really looks like.

I’ve worked with many new leaders and individuals considering leadership who question their ability to lead because they are more quiet and introverted.

When we dig deeper into why, it’s because they have a preconception that leaders need to be:

Assertive

Persuasive

Charming

And all sorts of other characteristics typically associated with extroversion.

There is generally an assumption that the strongest leaders are out there convincing people to do things they didn’t think they could,

Motivating teams of discouraged employees through inspirational speeches,

And pushing people to achieve more by hard-handed tactics.

But aside from some well-written, well-directed and well-acted movies, how many times have you actually encountered this in reality?

When I speak with people about the best leaders they’ve had, things that come up are typically:

They gave me space to do things my way, but was there for me when I failed or needed help.

They listened to me and took my opinions into consideration, even if they didn’t agree with me or went a different way.

I feel like they really care about me.

There’s nothing in there about inspirational speeches, being assertive or persuasive.

It all comes down to finding ways to fully support a team and get them to do their best work.

So here are three key traits of introverts that make us great leaders:

First, we don’t rush to a decision.

While some people see this as indecisiveness, introverts tend to wait until they have all the information they know they should have before making a decision.

This means, as leaders, we will be more likely to seek others’ opinions and find people who can help us source the data we need.

Second, we listen more than we speak.

There’s a frustrating misconception that quiet people are disengaged or don’t have anything to contribute.

But in reality, we’re making space for others to contribute, and taking it all in.

Then, in our quiet time, we formulate our opinions and ideas based on everyone’s contributions.

Third, we prefer meaningful conversations and relationships.

Our avoidance of small talk can make us seem disinterested or even intimidating, but this is a frustrating misconception of many introverts.

Instead, we’re actually great at forging strong and long-lasting partnerships with people–the very people we need to get the job done because we take the time to get to know them, instead of just talking about the weather or Taylor Swift.

This is all great, but how do you promote your introverted tendencies as a strength when targeting a leadership role?

First, get to know what your leadership team values in their leaders.

This could be their business acumen, their ability to coach and develop a team, budget management, relationship building, or any host of things depending on the company.

Then, think about the skills and approach you would take to do this work.

For example, collaboration and “getting people’s involvement” is a common challenge among teams–and even more so now that we’re in more of a hybrid or virtual environment.

You can highlight how you can build collaboration through strong relationships that you build with people,

Or how you get to know people’s needs and challenges to come up with creative solutions that meet everyone’s needs.

Whatever it is, focus less on how they describe a strong leader, and more on the actual outcomes that they want achieved.

Then, describe the skills and behaviours you have as an introvert that can help you achieve those outcomes–even if they’re on the more quiet side!

Okay, that’s it for now. 

Next week, I’ll be joined by David Hall from the Quiet and Strong podcast. We’ll be chatting about finding your introvert strengths, and how to manage your time and productivity as an introvert. 

I’ll see you next time!