Introverts Are Great Leaders Too

One of my first experiences with Alan happened in October of 2018, when I enrolled in the Madison County Leadership Institute. During the class, Alan taped a large piece of paper on the wall and asked everyone to write down words to describe a good leader. The list included the following words: People person Extraverted … Read more

Leaders Know the Thinking Rate is Fixed

An equation I’ve shared before: p=P-i If the product (p) we get is our potential (P) minus the interference (i), it’s helpful to identify the interference. One example of that is how some people react to being rushed to “think faster.” Except, hurrying doesn’t work for everyone. Have you ever been paralyzed when told to … Read more

Leaders Know Innovation Happens Best Alone

In chapter three of Quiet, Susan Cain tells us “Collaboration Kills Creativity.” The notion that working in teams can sometimes stifle innovation has been making the rounds for a while now, and Cain provides a brilliant explanation of the phenomenon and what to do about it. She calls it the danger of the “New Groupthink:” … Read more

More Thoughts for Leaders Dealing with the Introversion/Extraversion Gap

Be bold. Strike out on your own. Chart your course. Do it first. Come out of your shell. Stake your claim. These sound natural in our culture, and you might see versions of them on posters in offices and locker rooms. They are meant to inspire and encourage hard work. But what about phrases like … Read more

Leaders Are Mindful of Their Extraversion Bias

In Westernized societies, we have quite the bias toward extraversion, and this can hurt organizations. My assistant (an introvert) and I (an extravert) recently had a conversation about extraversion bias we thought we’d share with you. Extraversion and Leadership DeAnne: It’s interesting to me how, during a session when you ask people about the qualities … Read more