How understanding introverts can drive business success

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When I began my more focused research on introverts in 2006 my first group of introverted peeps were from technology. That was where the bulk of my consulting work was at the time. Fast forward almost ten years later and our conversation about introverts has expanded to look at introversion’s impact on business results. Chief Information Officers and their teams get this. They know that to be successful and get their ideas accepted they need to influence all types of people in and outside their organization.

As Sarah K. White, a senior writer at CIO.com notes in How Understanding Introverts Can Drive Business Success, companies have a great deal to gain by tapping into the power of both introverts and extroverts.  She notes “… nurturing opposite pairings in the workplace requires patience, understanding and even some training.”

Sarah summarizes what I have found throughout my time covering this topic. “Common misconceptions about introverts include stereotypes that they are quiet, have nothing to say or are slow and indecisive. These are dangerous assumptions in the workplace, since it might leave introverts overlooked when it comes time for promotions or collaboration. What a lot of people misunderstand is that introverts are more likely to think before speaking, whereas extroverts talk while they think to sort out their ideas. And to the untrained eye, it might appear that the extroverts are more confident and in charge, while introverts are quiet and withdrawn. However, that couldn’t be further from the case.” Read more here.

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