Introverts and Leadership

Photo by Craig Damlo

I read Susan Cain's Quiet over the summer, and while it was an interesting book, I found myself disagreeing with some of the points it made.  I consider myself to be an introvert, but I have no issues sitting in an open team workspace, for example.  My main disagreements stem from the way Cain used the term "introvert."  As Judith Warner noted in her New York Times review

For one thing, [Cain's] definition of introversion — a temperamental inner-­directedness first identified as a core personality trait by Carl Jung in 1921 — widens constantly; by the end of the book, it has expanded to include all who are “reflective, cerebral, bookish, unassuming, sensitive, thoughtful, serious, contemplative, subtle, introspective, inner-directed, gentle, calm, modest, solitude-seeking, shy, risk-averse, thin-skinned.”

The truth is, researchers are finding that introverts make better leaders than extroverts because they're more likely to listen and pay attention to what other people are saying.  After I was elected Regent of my fraternity chapter in college, I had emailed a brother from another chapter for advice; he told me, "We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak."  Those words have proven helpful.

As an introvert, I often find myself comfortable staying out of the limelight, but I do consider myself to be a leader.  I identify quite a bit with these words from Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, "I am driven by great work and seeing people do incredible things and having a part in that. So it’s more of a feeling inside that drives me, not a public recognition that drives me."  

Allison Pollard

Allison Pollard is a coach, consultant, and trainer who brings the power of relationship systems intelligence to go beyond tasks, roles, and frameworks to create energy for change. She engages with people and teams in a down-to-earth way to build trust and listen for signals to help them learn more and improve. Allison focuses on creating alignment and connection for people to solve business problems together. Her experience includes working with teams and leaders in energy, retail, financial, real estate, and transportation industries to help improve their project/product delivery and culture. Allison currently volunteers as program director for Women in Agile’s mentorship program. Her agile community focus is championing new voices and amplifying women as mentors and sponsors for the next generation of leaders. Allison earned her bachelor’s degrees in computer science, mathematics, and English from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), a foodie, and proud glasses wearer. Allison is a prolific speaker at professional groups and international conferences, including Scrum Gatherings and the Agile Alliance Agile20xx conferences. Allison is co-owner of Helping Improve LLC.

http://www.allisonpollard.com
Previous
Previous

Empiricism and Truthiness

Next
Next

Visibility of Leadership