There is overwhelming evidence that mentoring works. Recognizing that we are worth developing is an internal hurdle that both introverted and extroverted women need to overcome. And we better get to work quickly on this one.
I once worked for a painfully introverted leader who was one of the most honorable people I’ve ever met. I learned a tremendous amount from him, not because of what he said, but because of who he was. And he didn’t give me any verbal lessons about honor, it was transmitted in the way he carried himself.For the introverted leader, TELL Courage does not necessarily have to be done verbally. Sometimes it is best to talk less and express more. Writing a POV article for the company newsletter, for example, where the leader takes a bold stand, can be an expression of TELL Courage.
I love what one introverted unit manager said in “Introversion Can Be a Benefit for Nurses In Leadership Positions”, an excellent article by Lin Grensing-Pophal in ADVANCE for Nurses, “It’s lonely at the top and introverted leaders don’t have a problem with the solitary nature of the job.”
Some leadership traits might come a little bit more naturally to extroverts, it’s more in their nature to build rapport, stop and have a conversation with somebody,” she said. To them, doing that “is like getting out of bed and brushing their teeth.”
My Google Alerts and equally alert friends were quick to inform me of some intriguing developments on the research scene. A new study on introverted leaders appeared in Harvard Business Review’s Dec. issue and takes a look at how introverted leaders fare with more “proactive” or extroverted followers. One key learning? They listen and process the ideas of an eager team.
The thoughtful, quiet approach of successful introverted leaders can lead to outstanding business results. Despite the bumpy economy, Nestlé said Friday that its nine-month sales rose 4.1% to about $85 billion. Pretty impressive.
At a recent meeting of the UPS Women’s Leadership Development Book Club, the new international editions of the IL (The Introverted Leader for those of you who are new…
“They (Introverts) just didn’t place a larger weight on social stimuli than they did on any other stimuli, of which flowers are one example,” said.
“[This] supports the claim that introverts, or their brains, might be indifferent to people — they can take them or leave them, so to speak. The introvert’s brain treats interactions with people the same way it treats encounters with other, non-human information, such as inanimate objects for example,” Inna Fishman said.
They concluded that, “The results strongly suggest that human faces, or people in general, hold more significance for extroverts, or are more meaningful for them.”
When I point to well known introverted leaders, Warren Buffett is at the top of my list. One of the richest men in the world seems the most grounded…
