By Sameer Somal
The stereotype of business leadership is one of outgoing, extroverted power. We envision a fast-walking executive with endless energy, barking orders and making deals, able to enter any room and immediately take control, handling any difficulty with effortless charm and remarkable ease. This idea has been celebrated in movies, politics, and our culture for decades. And it’s probably false.
For one thing, recent history has shown us that leaders can be commanding, powerful, attention-grabbing, and utterly wrong. The risk-taking often associated with extroversion can lead to dangerously short-term thinking. Research backs this up, showing that while extroversion is seen as an “ideal” leadership quality, in practice it does little to improve the bottom line.
Stereotypes aside, many styles of leadership and communication exist, and the idea of the introverted business leader is gaining traction. So what benefits does introversion offer in business? Do introverts make better business leaders? And what can we all, introverts and extroverts alike, learn from this less common form of leadership?
Differences between introverts and extroverts
Although most people would say that they know what the terms introvert and extrovert mean, the specific definitions of the labels can be difficult to clearly articulate.
Introverts are generally characterized by the following traits:
- Enjoy and focus primarily on their inner life and thoughts
- Are capable of being outgoing, but don’t feel a need to be social
- Are comfortable being part of a group and not always standing out
- Are often thoughtful and insightful, taking time to consider options before acting
Extroverts often display these characteristics:
- Appreciate and look for outward-facing, novel experiences
- Enjoy and draw energy from social interactions with others
- Savor being the center of attention and take risks in leadership positions
- Often react to situations based on their “gut instinct,” and take decisive action
Dispensing with stereotypes is important. Introversion isn’t simply shyness or reticence in social situations. Introverts can be quite social, especially in comfortable, familiar situations, while extroverts can be thoughtful and insightful, and aren’t always bad listeners or dangerous risk-takers.
Remember, these are not hard-and-fast rules. The ideas of introversion and extroversion go all the way back to Carl Jung, and their interpretations have changed over time. But the terms can be useful in the search for new ways to talk about business leadership and in efforts to move past the aging idea of the hard-charging CEO who answers (and listens) to no one.
Advantages of introversion (and disadvantages of extroversion)
As useful as an extroverted personality can be in business, introverts possess certain skills that are vital to effective leadership, and these skills are often overlooked. In fact, the introverted personality can fit in amazingly well with almost any business’s long-term goals. Consider the following benefits of introvert business leaders:
- Effectiveness. Because introverts don’t need to thrive socially all the time the way extroverts do, they tend to tackle projects and tasks in a more timely fashion. They are less prone to distraction and to being drawn away from concentrated work time by personal matters.
- Listening and insight. Effective communication, especially in business, involves a complex combination of information exchange, emotional connection, and professional accomplishment. People want their ideas to be heard, but they also want to feel heard themselves. Introverts in leadership positions can make their team members feel like they have truly contributed to a project’s success.
- Team player mentality. Introverts are more likely to share credit for success and not try to be a “leader among equals,” an approach that can create resentment and destructive competitiveness among co-workers. Because introverts are more comfortable being part of a group versus being singled out at work, they are more likely to earn their group’s loyalty and trust.
- Thoughtful, long-term thinking. Addressing an immediate problem while monitoring its long-term implications takes a quiet, insightful mind. As decisive as extroverts can be, they often find themselves moving from crisis to crisis, unable to see the connection between current problems and future issues. An introvert would be better able to step back, take in the whole picture, and adjust plans accordingly.
Because introverts are often attuned to the nuances of social interactions, they are able to pick up on what others are actually saying and discern the deeper meaning of their words. This can make communication much more efficient and effective, and facilitating communication is a skill of paramount importance in the increasingly services-focused world of modern business.
Again, plenty of extroverts are amazing listeners, but if you’re in the business world, ask yourself how many quiet leaders you know. How many of them, if you were to reach out with a serious problem, would really hear what you had to say and take it seriously? And how many leaders do you know who don’t listen, and impatiently wait for their turn to speak? Introverts often ask insightful, breakthrough questions because they actually listen and pay attention to the details of what others say.
The highly extroverted style of leadership has deep flaws that should be acknowledged. Outgoing, brash personalities often strike a pose of overwhelming confidence, even when such a pose is utterly undeserved. Good leadership can recognize when things are difficult or when change is needed. The last thing any company needs is a leader who acts as though things are great when the bottom is falling out.
Introverted business leaders (and introverts in general) are better at dealing with complexity, often refusing to see things in simple “black and white” terms. This is another skill of growing importance in international business, where knowledge of local issues and social customs can mean the difference between a deal succeeding and it falling apart.
Introverts vs. extroverts: Who is a better business leader?
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An important question to ask for your business is this: do your introverted employees feel that they have opportunities to lead? Many people in leadership positions who are not “natural” extroverts will push themselves to act as though they are because they believe that it is expected of them, or will prove helpful in a high-pressure environment. But the opposite is often true.
Some ostensibly introverted employees might actually be natural leaders but are unable to perform in a leadership role simply because they feel uncomfortable doing so. This situation is common among women and minority employees, who fear being judged or attacked for taking on highly visible leadership roles. This opportunity gap can be doubly harmful—the employee chooses to not pursue chances for career advancement, and the business misses out on the development and application of useful talent.
Businesses and institutions should seek out, support, and develop many different kinds of leaders and leadership styles. Having a mix of personalities is best. Put simply, a team that consists solely of extroverts would be a nightmare, with everyone talking and no one listening. On the other hand, a team of just introverts would create a thoughtful place for careful listening, but nothing would get done because no one would want to make a decision.
A business team comprising a diverse mix of styles and ideas, with both introverts and extroverts, has been shown to be the most effective. Therefore, creating an environment where both personality types feel welcome and appreciated is imperative for businesses.
Benefits of both personalities
No one fits perfectly into one category or another, so it's impossible to say definitively that introverts make better business leaders or if extroverts do. We like to divide people into classifications—Type A and Type B, introvert and extrovert, and so on—but even though these distinctions can sometimes be useful, the way people behave and live their lives depends very much on context.
Someone who is a bona fide go-getter at work might be a total procrastinator when they are at home; the office introvert could be outgoing and social in an informal environment like a party. Allow people to be comfortable being their true, authentic selves, introverted or extroverted, and they will often deliver you their best work.
In fact, an incredibly useful thing a business can do is teach its employees how to be both! Introverted employees and leaders must feel free to step into a leadership role if and when they feel they need to. And extroverted leaders and employees must be shown the wisdom of knowing when to step back, listen, and let others be heard.
Celebrating the strengths and successes of introverts helps transcend the notion that business leadership is limited to extroverts. Leaders need to be allowed to be complex people—no one’s personality is entirely one-dimensional. If modern business continues to be about clear, effective, and thoughtful communication, introverts could find themselves at an advantage, both now and in the future.
