Embrace & Deploy The Introverts Magnificence.

This is a Huffington Post article on the 6 things you were wrong about introverts. I have made so many of the mistakes and misjudgements it was painful reading. Highly recommended reading for all managers of people. (Don’t click until you’ve finished this piece!)

Two bigger issues are at play here given that 50-75% of the population is introverted.

Issue 1. Too many introverted people feel like something is “wrong” with them because they are comparing themselves to others (extroverts) thinking that that is what they are supposed to be like – for the good of the business.

Because they think that, introverts (50-75% of the workforce) waste precious time into trying to be more extroverted… and end up being miserable and ineffective in the process of doing so.

However, if introverts take the time to learn more about (and push back!) themselves and  accept that that is just merely their personality and it’s OKAY to be the way they are, then they can focus their time and energy on work they excel at.

Issue 2. Corporate cultures often extend the biased ambition for EVERYONE to be team centric, customer friendly, gregarious and outgoing in a way that is consistent with being of an extroverted personality. So whilst the ambition is valid the execution and expectation is well off beam. God knows, I’ve been there and bashed introverted people on the head with the ‘be more passionate’ or ‘come out of your shell’ crass advice.

With 50-75% of your workforce being introverted (as you may well be) it’s a no brainer to develop ways to understand, communicate with, deploy and direct them.

Go on embrace the introverts for who they are – just don’t hug them.

And finally a fine cartoon for connecting with the introverted.