Recently, I ran these questions by a class and they did pretty well. How about you? I will be addressing each of them in upcoming blog posts.
Answer True or False and check your answers against the responses below.
1. Introverts prefer focused conversation to small talk.
We live in such an extroverted, centric world that the people who are the talkers – whether it be in brainstorming sessions or in coaching itself do a real disservice to people when they fill in the sentences. I think that equation we’ve all heard as coaches, is that you should have the 80:20 rule, coaches speaking 20%. That should mirror a lot of conversations you’re having, when you’re trying to get the best out of the introverts in your organization, allow them the dignity of their own rhythm.
Actors like Streep prepare extensively to take us into the world of that character. Likewise, introverts often emphasize how much they prepare for meetings, calls, presentations, etc. so that they perform at their best ( a side note: Meryl Streep is an introvert like many actors). Yet, despite careful preparation, you can’t always anticipate what is thrown at you. Handling the moment sometimes trumps preparation.
Introverts are so often mischaracterized and even blamed for the woes of the world. Now government workers seem to be taking the hit.
John is a Client Manager with IT staffing firm, CCCi and his latest assignment is at the The Southern Company, one of America’s largest generators of electricity. He has organized a number of well attended programs with technology leaders. and is committed to working with IT pros to help them succeed. On Halloween his company hosted an appreciation luncheon for the teams of IT pros at the Southern Company and gifted each attendee with a copy of The Introverted Leader .I was honored to speak to them about why introverts are leaders and what we are missing when we don’t tap into their strengths.
Introverts are leaders. Here is just a sampling of famous introverts. Taken from observation and commonly held opinion. Do you have any to add to the list? Famous Introverted…
Listen well. Over 90% of the 50 journalists I have spoken with about my book, The Introverted Leader: Building On Your Quiet Strength (Berrett-Koehler, 2009) have been introverted. It is a common personality preference for reporters who are self-reflective, inner focused and spend much of their day in the solitary pursuits of research and writing. When I listen to them, they openly share their stories and personal experiences. Most often I have felt we were more like colleagues engaged in a stimulating dialogue than reporter and interviewee. The best stories seem to emerge after these discussions.
1)We are all on this journey together and everyone feels overwhelmed to a certain extent. 2) NO ONE is the expert in social media and we each have our preference and sweet spots……..
I had another stimulating dialogue with innovator and author Laura Goodrich on Future Work Radio Our conversation addressed how we can make meaningful connections in the global workplace.
