7 things all introverted leaders should know

Introverts are often told to behave more like extroverts, and louder individuals often get most of the reward and recognition. Introverts, however, often have skills that are key for good leadership — such as the ability to listen, make wise decisions, and lead with empathy — that come to them more easily. It’s therefore high time that we re-evaluate our perception of introverts in leadership and re-assess who might be more likely to have the skills we seek in our leaders. 

Up to 50% of the population are introverts, and yet the misunderstandings about this half of the population are substantial, and many might feel frustrated as a result. If you’re an introvert in a leadership position, or an aspiring leader, read on to identify some of the key things to know.

#1. Your reflection is needed more than ever

We live in a complex world where few business scenarios you’ll face are black or white, and one of your many strengths as an introverted, quiet leader is that you reflect much more easily than an extrovert. Brain scientists have proven this by performing EEGs and fMRIs on introverts and extroverts, and have shown that introverts have more blood flowing — meaning more activity — in areas of the brain associated with planning, problem-solving and memory. This means you have an ability to easily see a situation in shades of grey, and a heightened ability to spot nuanced pros and cons. This might mean the difference between failure or success arising from a business decision: Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman famously showed through their Nobel-prize winning research that decisions we make when we reflect on them are better than the decisions we make knee-jerk. As an introvert leader, you reflect automatically and naturally, and your decisions are therefore more likely to be sound. In the world we live in today, that’s a strength that’s more valuable than ever.

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#2. Self-awareness is vital for financial performance

Introversion comes from the two Latin words which mean “to turn within.” Your ability to reflect — a result of the areas of the brain where introverts have more activity — is not just directed at the business decisions you face, but also specifically at yourself: As an introvert leader, you have a natural ability to be more self-aware. And that’s a valuable asset to any organization — the global executive search firm Korn Ferry has performed research across 486 organizations and a total of 7,000 employees, which showed that financial performance is inextricably linked with the self-awareness of the organization’s leaders. The organizations with poorer financial performance had leaders with 20% higher levels of blind spots, and 79% were more likely to have low self-awareness. And let’s not forget how much happier your teams will be when their leader has the ability to see their own actions more clearly.

#3. Certainty doesn’t equal competence or confidence

An introvert is more likely to question themselves, a result of being both more reflective and more self-aware. Many introverts feel this is a weakness, that their way of approaching a challenge by inviting input from others, and their own lack of immediate certainty, is something that makes them a poor leader. Surely a leader should always know the direction of travel and always be certain that their approach is right? It turns out that this is a fallacy driven by an in-built tendency all humans have; we yield to those who act in a dominant way (in psychology called “dominant behavior bias”) and certainty is a dominant behavioral trait. Researchers, through scanning brain activity, have found that we all lose our ability to think clearly when someone is being aggressive or dominating towards us. But actually, the introvert quiet leader doesn’t do any of this, and only claims certainty if they have confirmed the facts. Someone can be very certain they’re right, and voice that opinion with loud confidence — but that doesn’t make them accurate or competent to make the claim. The introvert quiet leader often displays true confidence — the quiet kind that doesn’t need to shout to be heard.

#4. Your style leads to more engaged team members

When you as a quiet leader open up a dialogue with your teams about the correct course of action, acknowledge that you alone don’t have all the answers, and show that you genuinely want to hear their input (before making a decision based on the input you’ve obtained), you create space for others to share their expertise. Two other things also happen: Firstly, you start to create a culture where team members feel safe, and secondly you also start to develop a high-performance culture where innovation thrives. Research from Harvard Business School has shown that proactive individuals thrive under introverted leadership, generating high employee engagement. Therefore, behavior that you might have historically been told is a weakness, has now been shown to be a fundamental ability to build a stronger organization.

#5. Listening and observing leads to greater insight

Introverts make great listeners because their default position is stillness and quiet, not talk. Extroverts, on the other hand, use talking as a way to process their thoughts. This approach means that what extroverts share may or may not be accurate, which could be an issue in itself, but it also means that extroverts talk more than they listen. It’s the opposite for introverts: They listen before they talk. They also happen to listen with their eyes as much as their ears, and these two senses give crucial insights into the true feelings and motivations of those around you. That quickly raised eyebrow when someone made a suggestion earlier in the meeting? A potential objection to the proposal presented. The slight hesitation before saying “yes” when you ask someone if they’re in agreement? A future issue if it means the person isn’t fully bought in. As an introvert leader you notice these things, and might not even think much about it, or assume that others also notice them. But often they don’t. And this opens up invaluable insights about how those around you really think and feel.

#6. Introversion is not shyness

Throughout your career and life, you might have been labelled as shy, or perhaps thought that your nerves about public speaking were a result of shyness. But being an introvert is a personality trait, whereas shyness is something you feel, as is nervousness about public speaking. Neither are related to your introversion. There are numerous performers in the world who self-label as introverts and yet work on stage in front of large audiences for a living. You can be an excellent public speaker and an introvert, or you can be an awful one. The two have nothing to do with each other — and while your introversion is likely to stay more or less stable over your lifetime, your approach to public speaking can change (it gets easier the more you do it).

#7. Your introversion is a strength 

You are different to extroverts, and my wish for you is that you see this as a good thing. Your introversion gives you strengths that are sorely needed in most organizations today. Many of the traits we say we look for in a leader are the very traits that introverts find it easier to tap into, so be comfortable with your approach and others will respect it too. As an introvert and quiet leader, you have nothing to be ashamed of and there’s no need for you to behave more like an extrovert. There’s certainly no need for you to be “fixed” in order to be a good leader. Your quiet leadership gives you leverage without being loud: Be proud of it.