9

SURVIVE AND THRIVE

You may be competent at your job, but make sure you aren't toiling away in a bubble. Reflection is an asset in many contexts, but turning inward is a mistake when it comes to your career. Don't assume that busy coworkers and managers will recognize the fine work you are doing. It is equally self-defeating to shy away from discussing work problems with supervisors or colleagues. Make sure that you become a known quantity, or you will likely lose out on deserved recognition that leads to promotions and a future pay raise.

Volatility and change are the hallmarks of the present accelerated workplace. In this fast-lane environment, introverts need to make a concerted effort to go beyond their reserved nature and take the chance of standing up and being counted. You have a lot to contribute when it comes to important issues and the development of concepts and ideas that further the organization's mission. To achieve this, you can use means comfortable within the confines of your own personality to promote your talents and skills, while challenging yourself to speak up more.

In this chapter, you'll discover tools and techniques that will strengthen your outlook and help you dial up your career, plus tips for advancing your communications skills and taking actions that will get you noticed and receive the admiration of your peers and senior leaders.

Manage a Thriving Career

Once your career is up and running, you need to keep it healthy and moving forward; it won't maintain its momentum without your help. There are still areas you can pursue to strengthen your position, such as setting short-term goals, using your talents to their best advantage, solving problems, and meeting experts in your field. It is also recommended that you continue your education and training whenever possible, support a strong network, and keep your resume and LinkedIn profile up to date.

Your Compass

As with all aspects of life, it's impossible to predict with certainty how your career will evolve. But having some clear ideas of what you want to do and where you want to end up will increase the likelihood of getting to your destination.

A variety of factors can impact your career destiny, such as how you are presently situated—whether you are in your first job or have already reached the senior management level. Lifestyle issues can also affect your career's direction, such as parenthood, health considerations, or economic needs. As you clarify your priorities, combine your daydreams with logic as you ponder your long-term goals. Start with a grand vision and then whittle it down to more realistic objectives.

You can gain some control of your career and a bird's eye view into the future by booting up your personal GPS, which can chart potential career milestones and attainable goals.

Make Your Dreams Come True—One Step at a Time

You may have a vision of becoming a manager or an aspiration to move up to a senior executive level. Or perhaps you have the courage and energy to consider leaving your current professional life as an employee and starting your own business. If you decide to break away and enter an entirely new field, you need to acquire relevant new information or obtain a specific educational degree. Even with a desire to remain in the same field, you need to expand your knowledge base.

Whatever your long-term plan, avoid discouragement and confusion by breaking down a large goal into small, achievable pieces. It also helps to set up manageable targets along the way. For example, if your goal is to advance to a higher-level position, you can take the lead on an upcoming project or demonstrate your expertise by presenting a seminar at a professional meeting or conference. These are professional activities that will exhibit your ability to initiate and lead while providing you the experience and skills associated with moving up the ranks.

Write Down Your Goals

Introverts are deep thinkers, so use that ability to write out a plan to achieve your goal. This is a perfect exercise for introverts and a process that has been shown to firmly fix your mission in your mind and increase the chances of accomplishing your objective.

Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at California's Dominican University, conducted a study on written goals using a sample of 267 people with diverse career backgrounds. She divided her sample into two groups: One simply thought about their goals, whereas a second group wrote them down. The study found that those who wrote down their goals experienced a significantly higher level of success in achieving them than those who did not write them down.¹ When you write, you send active signals to the left hemisphere of the brain—the side where logic resides. As a result, your consciousness tends to see the words as “written in stone” and takes serious note of your intention to accomplish them. To help stimulate your brain and stick to your mission, use the following formula for organizing and mapping out short-term goals.

Specific short-term goal: Your objective and what you want to achieve

Timeline: A general timeframe or deadline to achieve the goal

Actions: What you need to do to accomplish the goal

Measure: How you will measure your success

Evaluation: What is working and what needs to be modified

Charles Sets a Short-Term Goal: Achieve Career Advancement

The career aspiration of Charles, an IT project manager, is to advance to a higher-level position. To demonstrate his readiness and capability to reach the next level, Charles made “improvement of leadership skills” a dedicated short-term goal. His goal plan worksheet broke down as follows:

Specific goal: To strengthen leadership skills.

Timeline: Over the period of one year. To be reviewed in the first six months and follow up six months later.

Actions:

Meet with supervisor to review actions and gain support.

Train and supervise the summer intern: design orientation as well as generate and provide lists of tasks and resources.

Train new staff in department on database and division computer programs.

Lead meeting on an innovative trend in artificial intelligence (AI); create PowerPoint presentation.

Fill in for manager while she is away on vacation.

Apply for and attend internal leadership training program.

Measure:

Ask for feedback from intern and new staff on their training experience.

Survey staff through anonymous evaluation form for response to formal presentation on new AI trend.

Secure manager's evaluation of leadership skills.

Apply and assess new knowledge and skills from leadership training program.

Evaluation:

Received positive feedback from manager and colleagues on office technology training and handling of manager's responsibilities while she was away on vacation.

According to team feedback, need to improve delivery of presentation, providing more verbal explanation and relying less on PowerPoint slides.

Based on supervisor's recommendation, need to continue to increase leadership skills and become well versed in company's annual report.

Charles successfully achieved most of his short-term goals based on the positive feedback he received regarding the intern supervision and training new staff on office technology. He used his introverted energy to ask questions and get to know his intern, and the new staff sensed that Charles was invested in helping them learn the office computer programs. His boss expressed appreciation for how well Charles filled in for her during her vacation. However, the staff that attended his presentation reported that Charles depended too much on the PowerPoint slides in his delivery, so Charles will work on improving his public speaking skills for presentations in future.

Overall, Charles succeeded in building his leadership skills. In the end a higher-level position didn't materialize at his company, but he was offered an excellent position as a senior project manager at another reputable company where he will supervise a team of six and take on some exciting and challenging projects.

Tap Into Your Talents and Interests

One of the surest ways to clear for your career takeoff is to ensure that your work is a natural outlet for your abilities, and that your talents and passion are in harmony with the organization's needs. Introverts can thrive in any workplace, but only if they stay current and relevant. Pick a concept or idea that will add value to your professional profile and take initiative by integrating it into aspects of your work. Gather the very latest information, develop the concept as much as possible, and present it as a fully fleshed-out proposal to your boss or teammates.

Susanne, a psychologist working with veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is a perfect example. A creative thinker and writer, Susanne enjoys learning and applying new therapies and innovative techniques that result in positively transforming a person's life. She recently attended a workshop on a new treatment for PTSD and was encouraged by the results of this promising new approach. Utilizing this treatment, Susanne created a new program for PTSD for her agency that received attention, not just from the director of her unit, but also from other psychologists in her professional association and network. News of her success spread nationally, and she was approached by Psychology Today to write a monthly online column on the topic of veterans and PTSD. Her passion for learning and her talent for writing combined with action led to recognition and an exciting new opportunity.

Solve a Problem

The workplace is a popular place for unaddressed issues calling out for solutions. Fortunately, an introvert's natural penchant for thoughtful observation is well suited to seek out leaks and flaws and come up with creative and productive solutions.

Adopting a problem-solver attitude, even if it's only obviating a minor difficulty, will increase your value in the eyes of employer and colleagues. I recently worked with a young professional who experienced this firsthand. While interning at an accounting firm, he noticed that a lot of paper was being wasted during the task of transferring documents. After some additional observation and careful evaluation, he confirmed that the quantity of paper used was totally unnecessary and found an alternative sustainable method for getting the job done while eliminating waste. His company consequently adopted his suggestion and greatly appreciated the intern's ability to save the company money and time. Best of all, the employer recognized this intern's star potential and hired him for a full-time position.

The lesson here is: Tap into your nature and be aware of the actions and interactions that take place around you, either in the office or virtually. Listening and observing are your strengths and can lead to identifying problems that others in their haste have missed. The next step of suggesting constructive solutions will make the workplace hum and can bring substantial rewards.

Saving your employer time and money will certainly win you applause, but discovering ways to create workplace harmony can get you a standing ovation. If you notice evidence of misunderstandings or interpersonal conflict, have the courage to point it out. Then, diplomatically suggest ways that might enhance work relationships to make the office a more cooperative place overall.

Mariana, a medical sales professional, demonstrated this scenario when she observed a disconnect between her colleagues, partly due to their work, which demands being on the road a great deal. Through conversations with her colleagues, Mariana found that they felt isolated, particularly bemoaning the lack of opportunity to touch base with one another and establish a supportive network. Stressing that this was not a personal issue but widespread among her colleagues, Mariana described her findings to the district manager and articulated a scenario that would further support communication and strengthen morale. She came to her VP with clear evidence of a situation that was universal to the sales reps and presented a viable approach to fix it. Mariana was then given the approval to design and deliver team-building workshops that led to a more engaged staff and higher, team-oriented performance.

Commit to Learning

In this work era of high expectations and results, it would be a form of suicide to simply rest on your laurels after a successful project, or expect to get promoted by sitting smugly at your desk. Constant learning and sustained, committed effort to sharpen your skills are critical keys to accessing that desirable corner office. So whether through formal or informal means, make a concerted effort to keep up with the latest information and techniques; otherwise, no matter how hard you work, or what you have already accomplished, you will become obsolete.

Although it is always satisfying to exercise your basic talents and personal passions, don't let the fact that you are not particularly interested in computer training stop you from learning a new database that will increase your efficiency. A training program may not seem exciting to you—it may even intimidate you—but sign up anyway. If you are an entrepreneur, you might benefit from learning cutting-edge techniques that have the potential to attract more clients or customers or offer better ways to manage the business.

Take full advantage of internal opportunities offered by your company's training department. It won't cost you a penny, but it will establish you as an eager employee and give you invaluable proficiency. You can also increase your knowledge by reading trade or professional magazines, as well as mainstream publications like the Wall Street Journal.

Ensuring that your choices are in line with your career goals, you may also want to take a course or earn a degree or certificate. The educational benefits will give you a firm foundation in the workplace, as well as expedite your climb to the next professional level or unlock doors that lead to a totally new career field.

Be on the lookout for opportunities that will increase your professional knowledge base, such as seminars, conferences, or webinars. Online learning in particular can be a great way to build knowledge when you have a demanding work schedule or have a busy home life. There are strong incentives for taking advantage of any means that will brighten your morale and make you more work smart. Beyond the obvious fact that these will help you stretch your cerebral muscles, they will also increase your marketability. Learning to master material that is relevant and new will add to your self-esteem and give you further reason to step forth with confidence.

Meet Leaders and Experts

Identifying and interviewing thought leaders in your field is a step in the right direction, but not necessarily the same as networking for a new opportunity. Gaining a supportive mentor is a great result, but your main goal is to gain insight and wisdom that will help you grow professionally. Don't assume that these industry leaders are too busy to talk. Put aside any hesitation that might be the result of channeling your shy, nervous, or intimidated self by realizing that these “leaders” did not suddenly and magically land in a position of authority. Often they enjoy sharing what experience and success has taught them. It is very likely that they gained these only because some other leader and expert acted as mentor to them somewhere along their own career path. Remember: You are not aiming to secure a new job; rather, you are exploring ways that a respected expert can expand and encourage your own career. Find such leaders by using LinkedIn, by way of referrals, tapping into alumni networks, or by attending an event at which a leader speaks on a panel or is scheduled to give a presentation.

Thinking outside the box can be risky, but there are times when stretching yourself yields rich rewards. My client Shoshanna, a quiet finance professional, read an article in the local business journal about a CFO of a small investment management company, whom she had followed and admired for years. The article highlighted the company's technology innovations and the fact that the company's wealth platform was ranked as the leading wealth-management solution. Also mentioned was how the CFO helped navigate a complex merger with two banks. I encouraged Shoshanna to reach out to him, so she took a chance and sent a note through LinkedIn. She mentioned the article and her admiration for his work, and asked if he might be willing to meet with her at a convenient date and time so she could learn more about his career path. Shoshanna assumed that she would never hear back, so she was pleasantly surprised when she received a favorable response. She had taken a risk in contacting him because her request might have easily been dismissed, but what did she have to lose? She had everything to gain by taking action; at worst, she'd receive a minor snubbing and move on to plan B, C, or D.

Up-front and personal meetings work very well for introverts because you are the star of one-on-one engagement; you won't need to compete for the leader's attention with a gaggle of others. In this personal type of meeting, you can show your genuine interest by delving more deeply into this industry leader's history, background, and philosophy—again, in tune with your introvert's mindset. Plus, you will be doing so on the introvert's turf, a more serene atmosphere that speaks to a deeper connection. However, don't shy away from a phone meeting if face-to-face isn't possible because of schedule or geographic location.

Questions to Ask an Expert

Who has had the most impact on your leadership style or career?

How do you encourage creative thinking and innovative ideas?

How do you keep employees motivated?

What are the most important decisions you make as a leader in your organization?

What are some of the ways in which you think leaders fail?

If you have two equally qualified candidates, how do you decide which one to hire?

What's the key to succeeding in this field or industry?

What do you do to continue growing professionally?

Networking: Part Two

In Chapter 5, we discussed ways to build and take advantage of your network. If you want to thrive in your career, take networking up another notch. Although you might be reserved and sensitive, introverts can find many creative and comfortable approaches to establish and sustain healthy professional networks throughout their working lives. Think of professional relationships as the fuel that accelerates your career and ensures that you don't find yourself with an empty tank at any crucial point in your career.

Four Ways to Supercharge Your Network

1. Lunch: Getting out of your company confines or home office at lunch time can clear your head and refresh your spirit, while creating an ideal opportunity to establish a more effective one-on-one working relationship with a colleague or supervisor. There will always be crunch times at work. But don't become so immersed in the fray that you don't take some time to schedule one or two lunches a month with a colleague or mentor. Your introvert comfort zone is a tempting and seductive place, so stepping out of it periodically is a move you should take seriously. Shake yourself loose from that safe place and go out to lunch with someone who you don't know well, but who you would enjoy getting to know or prosper from knowing better. Remember: Face-to-face is the best approach in relationships, and it is often your forte.
2. Board of advisors: Consider organizing your own board of advisors who can help you evaluate where you stand in your career. Checking in periodically with colleagues and leaders in this forum can be a reassuring morale booster, especially if this group can give you objective tips that guide and support you professionally. Your board might include current or past bosses or mentors, and colleagues who have been promoted to higher levels because of their knowledge and experience. Professionals such as these can be a valuable sounding board when you want to mobilize your career and are searching for advice and direction toward new opportunities. Think of this mechanism as a barometer that reflects how well you perform, nudges you when you fall short, and provides an honest assessment of your potential and future goals.
3. Keep in touch: It's important to keep an open line with your key contacts. Consider how supportive their advice and counsel could be if you are faced with a sudden layoff or a firm decision to find a new position. Recruit at least three senior-level contacts in your network who agree to serve as references, and who you are confident will provide favorable recommendations on your behalf. They will be useful when you are a finalist for a new job or pursuing an advanced degree and need to provide names of those who know your work and can provide reasons why you are the best candidate.
4. Give back: While you continue to build your network, consider ways you can reciprocate. Give some equally worthy advice and council to one of your contacts when they are job hunting or at a crossroads and need guidance. Or come to their rescue by connecting them to resources that will support their goals.

For the colleague struggling with a challenging client or needing a hand tackling an organizational issue, you may be their champion if you provide a contact with the expertise to help resolve his or her problem. Even if you don't make the connection in person, you can rely on technology such as email or LinkedIn to provide the necessary information.

Freshen Up Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile

Your resume should be updated periodically and ready for action at a moment's notice. This may seem rudimentary, but I have worked with numerous clients whose resumes no longer reflected the professional person they had become. Despite notable work throughout the last three to five years, they simply neglected to bring their resume up to date to reflect how they had grown with the times. To avoid having to reconstruct these items later—and often losing essential elements in the process—keep a running list of key projects noting achievements, skills, and results attained.

Every six months to a year, refresh and renew your resume so that it offers a true picture of the accomplished professional you have become. Do the same for your LinkedIn profile. The time you dedicate now will save a mountain of work later; then, without frantically scrambling to collect bits and pieces of your history, you will be fully prepared the moment a new opportunity presents itself. Your resume will be polished, current, and impactful, and you'll be off to the races.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

The work world is an extroverted place requiring voices to sound out opinions and suggestions during meetings and company events. You may find yourself in a position that demands formal presentations of reports or lengthier public speaking engagements such as workshops or seminars. These are eminently achievable by relying on familiar aspects of your natural introversion and tapping into available extrovert skills.

Most introverts learn to face the reality that career success involves speaking and relating to others—and this can't be accomplished without standing up and being heard. The good news is that you can succeed without abandoning your introverted energies, jettisoning your style, or sinking into pessimism.

The Three Golden Rules for Speaking Up

My three rules for speaking up are simple to follow and easy to apply. Over time, they will build your confidence, which can help melt away anxiety and guide you in your approach to individual and group meetings. As a result, you will realize that you have seminal contributions to make, and that you are indeed a powerful force in the organization and life of your clients and customers.

1. Reflect: Time to think is a powerful element in the development of ideas and the solution to problems. It is in your nature to quietly open the door to novel inventions and to methodically tinker with issues until you find a solution.
2. Prepare: Organize your thoughts or questions in advance. It helps to fire up the synapses in the brain when you write things down, so outline a few pertinent ideas or generate a bulleted list that represents the points you want to convey. If it's a more formal presentation during which you will deliver a report, this rule still applies as a way of summarizing what you will say and making sure that the information your audience receives is clear. In most situations, you can have your thoughts and questions in your iPad or notebook. These are not crutches but aides to help you maintain focus and stay on point. Advance preparation feeds confidence and helps you avoid distractions from all the extroverted, head-spinning energy surrounding you.
3. Rehearse: This does not have to be an arduous and time-consuming task. It may be enough to simply review your notes a few times in a quiet and relaxed space. If you feel especially nervous because the meeting or event is particularly important, or you will be appearing before a large group, enlist a colleague or trusted friend for support and feedback as you practice. If you are still not completely reassured, consider using creative visualization or the meditation techniques discussed earlier to enhance a positive feeling and calm your shaky nerves.

Diplomatic Interruption

Even with advance planning, you may still feel silenced by the big egos in the meeting room who make it their mission to be seen and heard by diving into any discussion full force. But sometimes a whisper is more impactful than a shout. Learn to use what I call “diplomatic interruption” so you don't get lost in the crowd. Without any hint of offense, you might gently interject: “Excuse me, but something you just said triggered a new idea on how to approach the problem.” Or you might add: “This was a good discussion, but before we move on I would like to present a quick synopsis related to the market survey.”

If an idea or solution is presented that agrees with what you were going to say, you might offer support, such as, “That's a great idea. We could even add to the program by . . .” Your “interruption” will be more than welcome because you were able to validate the speaker's idea or comment while simultaneously presenting your original spin on the topic.

Public Speaking

Your job description might require that you develop and present a workshop or webinar, deliver a talk, or even a TED Talk. Almost everyone experiences a touch of performance anxiety when faced with a substantial presentation in front of an important audience. Stereotypes always include myths, and a big myth is that introverts are not good at public speaking. However, it is exactly your love of careful, methodical thought that produces unique content and an insightful, well-researched presentation. If you don't have much on-stage experience, you may need to give more attention to rule 3, “Rehearse.”

Understanding Anxiety

Awareness facilitates control. Trying to ignore your nervous feelings, on the other hand, will only blow those out of proportion, and your body will react no matter how much you deny the signs. So recognize and admit what you are feeling; anxiety floods your brain with warning signals and your body with hormones that elevate your heart rate and blood pressure.

When you are anxious and full of worry, your body reacts with signals like stomach knots, shallow breathing, shaky hands, or a quivering voice. Accepting and noticing your emotional state can be the first step toward placing the negative anticipation into perspective and controlling the fear. Believe it or not, fear has a positive side, too. In supercharging your body, fear gives you an energy you can use equally to your advantage when in a public speaking forum.

Tips to Manage Public Speaking Anxiety

Follow the three golden rules for speaking up, but spend more quality time on rule 3: Rehearse and practice your presentation.

Remember to speak clearly and project your voice at a confident level during your practice sessions. Catch yourself if you speak too quickly and slow it down.

Know your audience. Make sure you are on the same page with the organization's contact person regarding the topic and time length of presentation.

Think positively. Expect to engage successfully with the audience.

Take time for aerobic exercise the night or morning before a presentation, which can reduce adrenaline levels and anxiety by 50 percent, according to several studies.

Arrive early to check on equipment, including the podium, microphone, and other audiovisuals.

Use anxiety reduction techniques, such as deep breathing, visualization, or movement.

View anxiety symptoms as indicative of excitement, not a precursor to flopping.

Keep notes or a PowerPoint presentation handout within reach in case you lose your train of thought during your presentation.

Use tools that break up the occasional monotony of a verbal presentation, such as PowerPoint slides, video clips, and handouts. Diverting the audience's attention will also reduce some of their focus on you.

Bring water. You may need to lubricate your voice if it gets dry.

Look at friendly faces in the audience. Most of the time, audiences want you to succeed and are on your side.

Don't be discouraged if you have a few bad experiences; nobody gets standing ovations every time. Assess what the problem is, and find ways to conquer it the next time around. I was once presenting a workshop on careers in law to an audience of fifty people when I became slightly dizzy and couldn't collect my thoughts. The temperature in the room was very warm, but I may have experienced a slight panic attack. I told the group that I was a little dizzy and needed to leave the room for a moment to get a drink of water. I drank a lot from the fountain just outside of the room as I talked myself into finishing the presentation. A few deep breaths later, I returned to a room of extremely supportive people, finished the presentation, and even garnered some compliments afterward. Reflecting on what had happened, I realized I had been under a lot stress; then the combination of poor ventilation in the room and speaking too fast only aggravated my physical and psychological reactions. Now I make sure I find ways to relax and decompress from other work commitments before a presentation.

Nothing beats experience. You can help desensitize your fear by taking on more public speaking engagements. If you are really struggling or want to improve your speaking skills in front of an audience, consider taking a public speaking course. Many colleges offer non-credit and inexpensive public speaking classes. Toastmasters International, a nonprofit organization, has a long history of helping professionals become confident and engaging speakers.

Visibility

As you develop confidence, extend this skill in the communications with your manager, team, or board. Keep them informed of the status on your projects and the results you have achieved. Although introverts often prefer to think through a problem on their own, don't let that habit get in the way of soliciting support and gathering advice from your boss or senior leaders. That's their job, and you will avoid conflict and misunderstanding if you keep them informed of obstacles and aware of potential problems.

Self-Marketing

Visibility also means promoting your accomplishments to ensure your boss and colleagues are aware of how you excel in your work. This information will also inform them how to better capitalize on your unique skills. Despite what you may think, your tendency to be modest isn't an asset at work. When your project produces successful results, or you have introduced a new concept or innovative idea, make sure everyone with whom you work closely knows. You don't have to make a public announcement; send out an email to select recipients, or ask your manager's opinion on the best way to promote your achievement. Similarly, when you are given credit for an accomplishment, don't downplay your efforts or results with statements like, “It wasn't that difficult,” or “It really isn't that important.” A simple “Thank you” will do.

Although introverts can be strong collaborators and classic team players, be sure to give yourself credit if you have made an important contribution to a group project. In your natural, understated way, you can highlight your achievement without clouding the efforts of other members.

Let your wider circle of professional contacts know about any impressive results in your work life, as well. Again, you don't have to boast in person. Use social media or email blasts to inform your network that you published an article, won an award, or achieved something unique in your work.

Survive the Future and Adapt to Change

Looking ahead to the future, it's impossible to say what tomorrow's workplace will bring—what transformations will occur from new trends, technology, or other forms of corporate culture. How you navigate your career moving forward will primarily depend on your willingness to adapt.

You can't fight off the future. The survival of your career will depend on your ability and willingness to accept the rapid pace of change in today's work world. Layoffs happen, unexpected firings occur, and organizations modify and morph. Your job description can change like a chameleon, you may shift jobs like seasonal clothing, and your organization's managers may come and go. There is still no escaping this inevitable flux whether you are an entrepreneur or working for a startup. Like sharks in continuous motion, businesses must keep moving to stay alive, quickly shifting and transitioning as they expand and grow. If you adhere to the following keys to survival, your career can outlast the speed of change.

Eight Keys to Career Survival in the Age of Acceleration

1. Bring innovative approaches and new ideas to the workplace:

   What knowledge do you possess that others might not?

   What unique or unusual insights do you have?

   Where does your imagination take you?

2. Identify an emerging trend that could impact your division and organization: Read professional journals and publications, attend conferences and panel discussions, and read books that offer progressive theories and ideas.
3. Take calculated risks: Try something that may seem just a little intimidating. If your current work situation is causing conflict, try a new approach or adjust your strategy. Avoid getting stuck in a rut because the usual approach is seductively familiar and comfortable.
4. Think globally to keep on top of a changing world: Identify key trends of globalization and how it impacts market and career opportunities. Take note of the following global trends causing shifts in the workplace today:

   The corporate world is shrinking.

   Work is increasingly project based.

   Competition is high.

   Conceptual skills are more in demand.

   Many jobs are created due to unmet needs.

5. Be self-directed with your career: Don't expect anyone to see the future and give you a magical vision of your career yet to come. Along the bumpy ride of company mergers or reorganization, always be your own best advocate, and never expect that your employer will act as a benevolent uncle on your behalf. In short, take control of your career's direction.
6. Stay savvy about your organization: Keep abreast of what's going on throughout the organizational landscape. Listen and watch carefully to fully understand the corporate culture and behavioral norms, such as how the company is thriving, where it's faltering, and who is on their way up or out. Then, find the best way to fit yourself into the company culture without compromising who you are.
7. Keep on top of technology: Don't turn into an old dog that can't learn new tricks. Remain flexible, aware of current trends, and computer sharp. Technological advances continue to accelerate and are driving turbulence and change in the workplace. Unless you keep up to date and ensure that you are technically agile, you are in danger of becoming irrelevant and dispensable. Don't fear technology; embrace it as an ally, and may the force be with you as you advance your knowledge and succeed in tasks that can lead to career advancement.
8. Be very good at what you do: It is unrealistic to expect that you will be the headliner in every storyline at your workplace. However, your efforts, input, and results should demonstrate to management and colleagues that you are a key contributor who performs at a highly productive level. Whereas building relationships and communicating effectively both orally and in writing are important to your success story, you must equally demonstrate your ability to master major tasks and responsibilities with finesse and confidence.

Take Care of Yourself

As you know, introverts can't be “on” 100 percent of the time; you need time to restore your energy before jumping back into the stress of everyday life and work. Taking these moments to “recharge” and “unplug” from work and technology is essential to maintain a healthy work-life balance and improve your overall quality of life.

Recharge

Susan Cain, author of the bestselling book, Quiet, coined the term, “restorative niches,” meaning “the place you go when you want to return to your true self.”² All the energy and effort you put forth as you speak up and interact with groups in your work can easily deplete an introvert's energy. To recharge, find a moment during the day and a peaceful place to be alone, so you can return to feeling like yourself. Close your office door for a short time, take a walk during lunch or another break, or perhaps find a quiet hallway outside your office where you can decompress.

If you work at home and find yourself on the phone with clients and emailing customers all morning, take a few breaks during the day to clean your desk, go to the grocery store, or just sit in a quiet space for a while somewhere in your house or apartment. Sometimes work requires you to be “on” all day, and your restorative niche might simply be later in the day at home in front of the TV or in your bedroom reading a book.

Unplug

Employers are faced with high demands of production in this economy and expect employees to deliver strong and measurable results. Cell phones, email, and texting all conspire to accelerate work, and create clients and customers who demand immediate attention. With all these external pressures, you may work longer and harder, and could be in danger of slowly slipping into a toxic state of workaholism.

Introverts are at risk of overextending themselves, because they prefer communicating behind the scenes using technology. You may have a natural aversion to confronting challenges head-on at the time they emerge and instead find yourself using text or email after work hours to try to force the resolution of an issue. To break this habit, make a commitment to turn off your computer and cell phone before dinner or early in the evening. Otherwise, you will find yourself floating in cyberspace after hours, losing more of your time on this planet with friends and family. Face the fact that your desk will never be completely clear; that is why they call it “work.” So, unless there is truly an urgent matter at hand from which you cannot divorce, give yourself an opportunity to exercise different muscles. Making time for hobbies and personal interests can rechannel your energy, and you will likely be happier and more productive in the office, too.

Work can be an energizing and powerful way to express your talents, display your skills, and make an impact. Just don't allow work to control your existence, or you will miss out on the endless array of fascinating and enlivening aspects of life that you have every right to experience and enjoy.