UNDERSTANDING AN INTROVERT LEADER
‘Great Ideas Don’t Keep Business Hours’
Part 2
Continuing from Part 1, let us take this topic of ethical leadership to another level, in fact, let us simplify this concept. I mentioned in this series of blogs on leadership that ample material exists on the subject, in fact I stated that millions of publications and articles deal with the subject of the perfect Leader, what he must do and how he must behave. Ultimately, he is expected to be an impossibly superhuman being, superman on steroids, which is a stressful expectation of the leader. I then decided to take this subject further and delve into the personality traits of leaders and which personality type is best suited to the leadership role.
To this end, I researched psychology material that deals with introverted and extrovert personalities. We are born with a personality type and cannot change who we are – we can try but will fail and be utterly exhausted. I was incredibly shy as a child and nothing in the world could have convinced me to be the life and soul of an event – I usually found excuses not to attend. My childhood consisted of books and tennis, which was my comfort zone.
I can honestly say that there are advantages to each personality type but for sure, the operational and finance environments will benefit from an introvert’s presence whilst sales benefit from exuberant extroverts’ presence. Introvert traits align with most of the traditional leadership material which professes to create and understand who and what a leader should be. Put simply, follow the traits of an introvert and you have the perfect, ethical leader.
When extroverts are heading up the sales team, interacting with customers and drawing them in like a magnet, flawing them with charisma, let the introvert be part of the meeting. The quiet wise owl in the corner is perceptive of things that extroverts will not notice. They are too busy gleaning their energy from people and enjoying the platform to notice the finer details. Call the introvert in to finalize the operational and financial details of the transaction – let us call them your ‘secret weapon.’
A personal example: I worked with a CEO who would often call me into meetings to observe. When he gave the ‘sign’ it was time for me to step in – it would unfold by him saying to me “I don’t know, Adrienne, what is your take on this?” I would at this point contribute to the meeting. The CEO would then call the meeting to an end by saying “ok, so that is it, that is our decision. Meeting over. If you have anything more substantial to contribute to this issue, we will chat again.” Inevitably he would give me a wink and walk out of the room.
I have mentioned in a previous blog the trip that I took with a CEO to Bloemfontein. I read the amendments of the Companies Act to him and regaled him with details of other Legislation that pertained to his business. I did this to avoid having to make trivial and meaningless conversations which I find incredibly stressful to pull off. He said that it was the longest and worst trip of his life.
Let us tie this subject up to the first post dealing with Ethical leadership. You see, introverts spend more time learning and doing, whilst extroverts prefer to be out and about, the playful crowd. Extroverts ‘come alive’ when they are in social situations whilst introverts would rather be at home alone learning new skills or self-improving in some way or another.
Traditional leadership material prescribes leadership traits, and I will mention them briefly to avoid boredom with this well-extinguished subject matter:
- Innovate
- Strategize
- Have wisdom!
- Always be ahead of the curve ….
- Make a difference in people’s lives!
- Be authentic, kind and patient.
- Have the foresight to see a possible challenge, and be prepared for all eventualities!
Let us tie this up to the personality traits of true introverts:
- They prefer time ‘out’ and use this time to read, grow, learn new and interesting things, clear their mind from clutter and concentrate on healing and self-reflection.
- They believe in having a purpose and are usually driven by personal and business goals.
- Idle time is rarely wasted.
- They are goals-driven – personally and business, and structure their time appropriately.
They are not concerned about impressing anybody or keeping up to the social standards of others, preferring a simple, less complicated, and peaceful existence – this lifestyle allows them the freedom to create and innovate which they are constantly doing “Great Ideas Don’t keep Business Hours.”
But most importantly, and to tie this topic to part 1, introverts are usually too inhibited to have the guts to ask their staff to participate in non-ethical transactions – well this probably would never be necessary because they are ahead of the curve and have the solution before a problem exists. They have an incredible power of foresight, why? Because they make the time to be in the moment.
They do not only measure growth and success in social terms, but rather in terms of knowledge. They are aware of the precious commodity of time and use it to its maximum. Relaxation is not time out with friends, but rather time alone with nature and books.
Introvert leaders are naturally authentic as they do not have the need or energy to pretend to be something that they are not. They are not interested in creating a ‘social’ impression or artificial friendships, they choose meaningful relationships that are dependable, interesting, and different as they always continue to learn and grow, preferring to surround themselves with a chosen few as opposed to many associates. They know the power of networking, but not socializing, and have the gift and respect of knowing and adhering to personal boundaries – their own as well as others. They are uncompromising in their needs and belief systems and do not believe in a ‘quick fix.’
Their respectful approach to people ensures that they are reliable and always punctual. They are never the loudest in the room and their genuine sense of self-worth is a magnetic attraction in the boardroom.
In closing, extroverts draw their energy and happiness from social situations – they come alive. This trait is perfect for heading up a call centre environment or sales teams. There is a place in organizations for both types of personalities but ensure that they are in the right position. Extroverts usually do not have the patience to sit on their laurels populating spreadsheets and attending to ‘boring detail.’
Thank you for reading this blog. Stay tuned for more insightful discussions on boosting your business’s success. Don’t forget to listen to my podcasts for in-depth insights on leadership and related topics.
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