In today’s hyper-competitive workplace, being intelligent and/or working hard alone cannot guarantee career success. A lot depends on how one conducts himself/herself in the office, how well the person is able to get along with teammates, how effectively he/she can get things done and also the leadership traits displayed. This is particularly true for managerial roles.
One important factor among these is the personality of a person – extroverted or introverted. Normally, extroverted employees get higher visibility and seem to be more successful than their introverted peers.
Introverts are usually very successful in functional jobs that involve analysis whereas extroverts are good at team based functions. In my previous article about leadership, I had discussed about Jim Collin’s thoughts about successful leadership styles.
His conclusion was that many of the leaders who achieved sustainable success were introverted. The question is, can introverted professionals become successful leaders? This is a question the people who consider themselves introverts are concerned about.
According to some studies, about half of the world population is introvert. This number varies from culture to culture. It is considered that people in Western countries (US, Europe) are more extroverted whereas Eastern culture (Japan, China) have people who are more oriented towards introversion. Indians fall somewhere in between. So, a lot of people in the world are unsure about what to do about their introversion.
Jack Welch, the legendary ex-CEO of GE, was asked the following question.
“My boss recently told me that I am very competent and have a clear vision for my team, but in order to get promoted, I need to show a stronger personality. As a naturally introverted person, what should I do?”
Jack answers that “Big companies are constantly looking for people to move across divisions or around the world, and extroverts, by rights or not, appear more prepared for such opportunities.”
He adds “Indeed, big companies are so tilted towards extroverts that introverts within them often experience a dynamic not unlike the one faced by many women and minorities. They have to constantly overdeliver just to stay even”.
His suggestion to overcome this disadvantage is to “get out there, mix, speak more often, and connect with both your team and others, deploying all the energy and personality you can muster”.
The entire question and answer can be found here
So is the scenario very bleak for introverts? That need not be the case. I had the good fortune of hearing about leadership from Rob Eckert, CEO of, Mattel, Inc . Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels are among the product of Mattel Inc. During the course of his speech, Rob recounted his story of how he progressed in his career. He grew up as a mediocre boy and his personality during youth was anything but flamboyant. It would be safe to say that he was an introvert. In one of his interviews to the press, he mentioned that “no one would have predicted that I’d be a CEO someday”.
But he was highly focused and capitalized on every opportunity that came his way. He turned around the toy-maker which was not faring well where more extroverted leaders failed. He also handled the public outrage against Mattel in the wake of the discovery of poisonous chemicals in toys. extraordinarily well.
During my interaction with him, I found him to be very down-to-earth and very modest. He exuded a positive, can-do spirit and an ability to motivate people in his own unassuming way. His advice was that if one has the courage in one’s convictions and does not compromise on his/her integrity, success can be very well achieved, no matter one’s personality.
You can read more about Rob Eckert here
So, all the introverts reading this article – you need not worry. Follow Jack Welch’s and Rob Eckert’s advice and you will get the rewards for you hard work.
Good luck!!
Image Credit: Robert T
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