Play to your strengths in business
Despite perceptions, introverted people are some of the best leaders, writes Dani Wright
Is your reserved personality holding you back from leadership positions? It doesn’t need to, as introverted leadership styles gain more admiration. What do former US presidents Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama have in common? They’re all considered to be introverted leaders, showing there’s a softer side to success.
Other leaders confessing to the style include technology entrepreneurs such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Guy Kawasaki — the “Godfather of Silicon Valley” — and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
However, the Harvard Business Review conducted a survey that found 65 per cent of senior corporate executives in their research viewed introversion as a barrier to leadership and other studies have shown that highly extroverted US presidents are “perceived” as more effective.
But, although reserved personality types might take longer to gain the attention they deserve in leadership circles, there’s no mistaking that they have valuable contributions to be made as leaders.
Brigid Carroll, Associate Professor in the Department of Management and International Business at the University of Auckland, says there have always been introverted leaders, but the dominant, extroverted types often catch the attention in a way their quieter counterparts don’t.
“Introverted leaders are not rare, but, especially in social media circles, we’re often distracted by the louder types,” says Carroll, who has had her own personality type defined as exactly 50 per cent introvert and extrovert styles, highlighting that people are rarely 100 per cent one or the other.
She says some of the best leaders are introverts and that it’s really easy to see why, because they are “known to listen well, to create space for others, to reflect, not rush into decisions too early, to think things through, to take time to go in-depth into issues,” and many other qualities that are often encouraged in leadership training exercises.
“If you imagine we’re all batteries, some people charge up by interacting with others (extroverts), and others by getting time on their own to think things through (introverts),” says Carroll. “The battery looks the same, so it can be hard to know which leaders are more one or the other just on face value and most are a measure of both.”
She says a good example of an effective, introverted leadership style is All Blacks coach Steve Hansen.
“He is his own man, quite guarded, seems to be incredibly reflective, doesn’t seek the limelight, seems quite controlled in public places, but is also a deep people person and knows his players well,” says Carroll. “Introverted leaders can be brilliant leaders, but may need a different kind of strategy to get noticed as they are more reluctant to claim the space in a room.”
Learning to contribute in a way that’s true to who you are as a person and finding ways to be recognised for that contribution is necessary for introverted personality types.
However, it’s not all down to the individual and Carroll, who specialises in collective or collaborative leadership and leadership development, believes there’s a trend away from building the capacity of individuals to that of the collective in leadership.
“There’s an increasing interest in how to connect across teams and departments, as well as across sectors and other boundaries,” says Carroll. “Increasingly, things are too complex to believe one individual has it all in their heads, no matter how genius they are, so the secret of leadership is how to pool from all to sustain a collective energy.”
However, Jennifer Kahnweiller, author of The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength has said the emphasis on teams is very draining for introverted leaders, who may be less likely to contribute during brainstorming or during conference calls.
She says introverted leaders often feel overlooked or ignored, but that organisations are starting to recognise they need to harness introverted power.
One of the frameworks in the book is the 4 Ps Process of preparation, presence, push and practice, which can be applied to leadership scenarios.
Introverted leaders often thoughtfully prepare for meetings, so the first P is an easy one and leads to their ability to make substantial contributions. However, without being present in the meeting and pushing themselves out of their comfort zone to speak up, their contributions can be left unheard. To do this, takes practice.
Her advice has resonated with an international audience and is a reminder to embrace your personality in business leadership, rather than trying to adapt to the way you think you should act.
Playing to your strengths, like the Obamas and Lincolns we’ve come to admire, leads to authentic leadership, something to aspire to whatever your personality type.