One of the common misconceptions in business is that in order to be a great leader you must be charismatic and extroverted. While it is true that charismatic individuals can more easily sway others to their way of thinking, studies show that introverts have several advantages when it comes to leadership:Introverts are Better at Listening: A leader who listens actually hears and considers the ideas of team members instead of overwhelming everyone with his or her own perspective. This leads to better decision making. Just as important, team members feel more relevant and engaged.
When employees are engaged they get a personal sense of fulfillment from achieving objectives and / or doing their work well. It can be anything from “winning”, to being seen as valuable, to feeling pride in mastering a project or pulling a team together to accomplish something exciting. External incentives and consequences such as: winning trips, getting monetary bonuses, or getting scolded for not achieving an objective, all influence behavior to a degree, but when the desire comes from within, there is an unlimited supply of energy driving success.
As a leader with your team, as a parent with your kids, or in any close personal relationship, you will experience periods where you feel drained, anxious, or exhausted when it comes to managing the relationship.
Our culture even prizes the notion of being able to handle highly-stressful work settings, treating it like a desirable work skill.
As a leader with your team, as a parent with your kids, or in any close personal relationship, you will experience periods where you feel drained, anxious, or exhausted when it comes to managing the relationship.
Our culture even prizes the notion of being able to handle highly-stressful work settings, treating it like a desirable work skill.