Chapter 25

ARE INTROVERTS SUITED TO LEAD TEAMS?

EACH TIME I WATCH Iron Man I can’t help but praise Robert Downey Jr. for performing as Tony Stark, a super-genius full of self-confidence and a massive amount of arrogance that never seems totally off-putting to others. He is probably one of the most charming superheroes out there. But Tesla’s Elon Musk, is not this kind of person. “Basically, I’m a reserved, introverted engineer. I’ve spent a lot of effort and energy training trying to avoid stuttering when I get up on stage to make a speech. . . . As a CEO, I have to do this.”

In addition to Musk, investment-guru Warren Buffett, Facebook-founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Steve Wozniak, Google’s Larry Page, and Microsoft’s Bill Gates are all famous introverted entrepreneurs. They’re the movers and shakers of the world. Introverted leaders may not have the same leadership style as flashy and eye-catching extroverts, but their temperaments are well worth putting on display.

THE SPECIAL LEADERSHIP TRAITS OF INTROVERTS

So how important is it for a good leader to be charismatic? Peter Drucker, described as the founder of modern management, expressed that over the past fifteen years, he’s worked with all sorts of CEOs—those who are deeply private and seldom come out of their shells, those who are extremely communicative, almost to excess, those whose decisions are about as transient as a flash of lightning before they bolt away from the meeting room, and those who are prudent and take their time. Yet Drucker thinks “charisma does not by itself guarantee effectiveness as a leader.”

Jim Collins, consultant and lecturer on business management and company sustainability and growth and author of Good to Great, surveyed multiple enterprises and businesses that seemed fresh with the prospect of success. He discovered that not a single CEO was believed to be a dazzling leader full of charm and charisma. Their successes actually came from being highly modest and having a strong professional demeanor and countenance. Collins categorizes these people as Level 5 Leaders. They’re extremely ambitious, but the kind of entrepreneurship embodied by these people is for the organization’s benefit and for reaching collective goals. It’s not ambition for their own personal benefit or fame. He continues by saying that introverted people are often more comfortable with solitude; they spend more time floating around in their inner universe. Because of this deep pondering, they can reflect more and pay more attention to deep thinking, observation, planning, imagination, creating, and providing solutions, and they can dive deep into research and complete implementation of their decisions. Collins also summarizes their traits as including being humble, calm, and quiet, and having self-inhibition, self-control, reservedness, and even shyness.

When Jennifer Kahnweiler, a corporate consultant who has been engaged in long-term studies, teaching, and training on the subject, published The Introverted Leader back in 2009, there still wasn’t a lot of research or studies done on introverted leaders. She wrote in the book that “There’s nothing showing that extroverts are more effective leaders than introverts.” This is what she told me when the second edition was published in 2018: “Even though it’s the same book in general, I rewrote an extremely large part. You simply wouldn’t imagine that within ten years’ time, the workplace consensus toward introverts has nearly done a one-eighty. Now you know how introverts have always been really neglected.” One of my favorite sayings, “Still waters run deep,” puts a final touch on a culmination of ten years of Kahnweiler’s wisdom. Compared with those whose leadership charms are easily seen, introverted leaders are always quietly showing their endlessly deep influences without fanfare.

INTROVERTS WHO CAN FLASH-CHANGE INTO EXTROVERTS

Socializing is a never-ending process for learning and adapting to social values and rules. Most introverts have undergone different environment training throughout their lives, like at home (moms and dads who push and prod them to go out and play/interact with other kids), at school (teachers who have class rules where they have to speak up and participate in order to get a good grade), in the workplace (bosses who believe that actively speaking is the best way to show positivity), and in other training scenarios. Many introverts can switch between introversion and extroversion to some extent, and some introverts can force themselves to put on an extroverted facade.

Socializing not only shapes introverts to become workplace talents, but it can also lead introverts to become excellent team leaders. Wharton School’s Adam Grant has pointed out from his research that, in an environment where everyone is actively contributing ideas, extroverted leaders put more emphasis on personal self-expression. For the listening-attuned introverted leaders, however, it’s easier for them to adopt suggestions and recommendations and to come up with a decision that’s most beneficial for the entire team. When a team member puts out an innovative management idea, an extrovert might think, “You’re saying you can make the team better, is that right? But I’m the star of the team!” But introverts, on the other hand, might think this: “Oh, that’s pretty good, but I like the aggressiveness of the other approach too. Maybe it would be better to try to combine these two ideas!” As long as you can come out of your shell and concurrently pay attention to your teammates and their needs, you can give them even more space for growth and development.

I have a friend who I’ve known for over ten years. She’s an introvert, but she’s been trained to be extremely good at chatting, and she has her amazing ways of working with all sorts of people. Because they’re not typically mainstream, introverts often need to spend effort to tweak themselves and adapt to extroverted work or communication styles and techniques. As a result, even if introverts are responsible for outward-facing positions such as sales, publicity, and/or marketing positions, they can also use the skills they’ve trained for with blood, sweat, and tears to successfully suit their own work needs with advantages from both worlds.