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Popular culture usually links the concepts of «extrovert» and «successful person»: it is believed that only easy-going extroverts are able to influence others and carry them along with them. However, introverts have several qualities that make them leaders, able to make the right decisions and convince others that they are right.
There are surprisingly many introverts among modern people — almost more than half. According to the data provided by the American Center for the Study of Psychological Types, their number among women is 47-55%, and among men — 50-55%.
1. They hear others
Extroverts tend to spend a significant portion of their time communicating, and prefer to talk rather than listen. A study by psychologists at Harvard Business School showed that a silent manager who manages a team of highly active employees can be an excellent manager because he really listens to the ideas that his team gives.
Often the trouble of managers is precisely in the inability to appreciate the ideas that their subordinates put forward. Such a boss now and then buries the bright undertakings coming from below — and if he himself is not creative and initiative enough, then his team will fail. An introvert, on the other hand, is able to perceive and successfully use the ideas of talented subordinates, even if he lacks his own.
2. In negotiations, extroverts talk and introverts think.
Introverts use time more rationally: they do not waste it on unnecessary words, but prefer to use time to analyze and come up with solutions. Alas, too often in companies, the ability to think and act is measured by how much a person owns the skills of self-presentation.
However, a manager with a good tongue and a knack for demonstrating self-confidence and competence may actually be extremely incapable when it comes to actually making decisions, and not just appearing to be a flurry of activity. And here introverts enter the scene, who until then silently observed, weighed, predicted the development of the situation according to several possible scenarios and chose the best alternative.
3. Introverts are less likely to offend subordinates
In general, introverts are much more polite in conversation with subordinates — they, as a rule, are not inclined to look like a puffed-up turkey in front of them. A 2006 study found that employees highly value those in positions of power the willingness to downplay rather than boast. Introverts do not try to suppress others, which means that working under their guidance is much more comfortable.
In addition, an introvert manager often seeks to lead the entire team to success, and does not achieve exclusively his own, selfish goals. Such a “servant to the king, father to the soldiers”, who does not pull the blanket over himself, is valuable for the company and attractive to subordinates. In his team, a spirit of cooperation and mutual assistance flourishes, while in a team led by an extrovert, employees, copying the mannerisms of their boss, try to shout down each other, proud of their ostentatious success.
4. Calmness is important for business
Not only do introverts talk less, they are generally more level-headed and collected. If the company’s business itself implies constant hassle, organizational chaos and a lot of unexpected problems that fall on your head at the most inopportune moment, it is calmness and the ability to sort out the situation constructively, without emotions, that is especially valuable.
The introverted manager creates a peaceful, friendly, collaborative atmosphere around him that inspires those who are discouraged. Introverts are able to judge the state of affairs, regardless of faces, restrain their emotions and not go on about the general panic or unjustified euphoria.
5. Introverts do not tend to «scatter»
In a day, an extrovert can make contact with ten clients, and an introvert — more or less with one. However, quantity does not mean quality: an introvert is able to understand exactly what this single client needs and offer him the best set of services. An introvert digs deep, not wide: his communication with clients is often personal and respectful.
Extroverts, on the other hand, often get tired of clients, show them their neglect and unwillingness to deal with their problems. This kind of formalism is usually punishable by the loss of important customers. In addition, extroverts often work for show — for example, they organize events to show off their communication skills and seeming competence, and not at all in order to make useful connections. In accordance with the first letter of the name of their psychological types, extroverts prefer extensive development, and introverts intensive development. «I» every now and then turns out to be much more useful than «E».