Introverts make great leaders too
Maier Associate Coach, Guy North, is a fully trained and qualified Executive Coach who draws on his many years in the corporate world to help transform leadership capability and performance. He seeks to help leaders increase their impact by unlocking their true potential. His approach is centred around building close relationships, trust and working as a partnership of equals.
One of Guy’s specialisms is working with introverted leaders; our work in coaching and team development often explores personality preferences particularly around where introversion and extraversion can impact our style of leadership, and how we work and communicate with others. In this ‘Associate Spotlight’, Guy shares his thoughts around why introverts can make great leaders, and some tips to help you succeed as an introverted leader.
For much of my career I unwittingly agreed with the 65% of senior executives who see being an introvert as a barrier to leadership. During this time, I was in denial about being an introvert and tried to come across as more outgoing and extrovert to ‘fit in’ – big mistake. Only as I became more senior did I recognise the need to be true to myself and embrace the strengths that come with being an introvert, using these to define my own unique leadership style. As an Executive Coach, drawing on this experience, I now relish the chance to help leaders who are more introvert to succeed in a world where historically extroverts have been more prominent.
What it means to be an introvert
I fully recognise that labels are not always helpful and can put people in boxes – indeed, in this case, no one could be described as 100% introvert or extrovert. There is a scale along which people will sit. I don’t want to get hung up on definitions, but it is pretty much accepted that an introvert is someone who gets their energy from spending time on their own, rather than with other people. At an individual level, it is important to understand your own ways of being and behaviours. Only by developing this self-awareness can you make the most of your strengths and overcome any barriers that may be holding you back.
I learned the hard way that being tongue-tied in meetings, slipping away from events, or getting anxious before presentations, were all completely natural. The good thing is you can overcome all these things, whilst using the super-strengths that being an introvert gives you to become a great leader.
Debunking the myth that introverts can’t be great leaders
Before I look at those super-strengths, let me just debunk some of the myths that are used to suggest introverts can’t be great leaders: –
- Introverts shy away from leadership roles – just not true, witness Barak Obama, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg.
- Introverts don’t have the ‘people skills’ to lead – ‘people skills’ don’t equal charisma and being in tune with emotional intelligence is far more important in understanding and relating to people.
- Introverts are bad communicators – they may not be loud and brash, but they will think before they speak and plan what they want to say rather than shooting from the hip.
- Introverts don’t like collaborating – whilst they might like to work alone, introverts are excellent at working towards a collaborative goal and are receptive to ideas and suggestions, making them highly effective at leading proactive teams.
Super-strengths introverts bring to leadership
You can start to see here some of the super-strengths that introverts can bring to leadership and how they translate into positive outcomes.
Recognising and overcoming internal barriers
Before being able to draw on these super-strengths, it is important to develop the self-awareness to recognise and overcome any internal barriers that you might have as an introvert. Typical examples are set out below and I wish I could have told my younger self these: –
- Be honest with yourself – don’t try to be something you’re not
- It’s OK to feel anxious – don’t deny it, own it, and do something about it
- Struggling to be heard – don’t get frustrated, reframe on your terms
- Influencing key people – don’t like big groups, then build one-to-one relationships
- Facing a big challenge – don’t be overwhelmed, break it down into small steps
As hinted at earlier, for many years I denied feeling any anxiety, but only once I accepted it I could work out how to counter it. For me it is all about calming down, being totally prepared, and not hyping myself up. So, before broadcast interviews, speeches, or presentations I would need quiet time on my own, often putting my earphones in and using music as my way of relaxing.
Being true to yourself and finding your own voice is so important, but it is then about working out how to use it as effectively as possible.
Tips for aspiring introvert leaders
For any introvert reading this, if you hate networking; struggle to make your voice heard; don’t like self- promotion; or are intimidated by big groups, don’t think that this means you can’t be a great leader. You can develop strategies to overcome all these things – identifying key people to speak to; building deep and influential relationships; and using thought leadership to demonstrate expertise. And best of all, there are people out there who can support you with all these things, by bringing out the super-strengths in you, and becoming the great leader you have the potential to be.
Without a doubt, times are changing, and it is being increasingly recognised that greater diversity of thought and style is needed for the highest performing teams and individual leaders. Indeed, recent studies have concluded that introverts can make great and highly effective leaders. But on that journey, us introverts may still need a bit of help, firstly in understanding ourselves better and then in being open to how to make the most of the voice and strengths that we have.
Introvert or Extrovert?
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