Carl Jung first theorized that there are two types of personalities - introverts and extroverts. In the corporate world, you often have to interact with clients and win over partners and employees. Thus, it has always been speculated whether introverts can be good leaders or not. Can they make it to a Company’s C-suite?
Well, I believe they can. Research tells us that nearly 40% of executives are introverts. You might find it surprising that CEOs like Bill Gates (Microsoft), Tim Cook (Apple) and Marissa Mayer (Yahoo) are all introverts. Here are some key points why I believe introverts can make great CEOs:
Better Listeners and Observers
Introverts often tend to observe people in their social circles. They listen to what people say and process it before saying anything. Studies suggest that quiet bosses with proactive teams prove successful because they listen to what their team has to say. Susan Cain, in her Ted Talk, quotes, “Such bosses are much more likely to let the employees run with their ideas.” Being keen observers, they can judge their team members’ key skills and utilize their potential better.
Solitude leads to better results
Introverts prefer solitude to channelize their thoughts and become focussed. Our culture discourages being alone. However, being alone helps in knowing yourself better and understanding your ability, which introverts often do. Interestingly, Steve Wozniak, the Apple co-founder, invented the first Apple computer sitting alone in his cubicle. He believes he would never have been able to do so had he not been introverted enough to rarely leave his house while growing up.
Meaningful Connections
Introverts are often seen as anti-social when in reality, they just have a different way of connecting with people. They prefer to connect one-on-one on the issues they find important. Thus, an introvert can develop more meaningful connections and contacts, which are useful for businesses. In fact, introverts tend to be good public speakers. Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks and Mahatma Gandhi are a few examples of quiet and yet powerful personalities.
Being an introvert myself, I would like to conclude with this:
“Quiet doesn’t mean shy. Solitude doesn’t mean anti-social. Self-realization is the key to better leadership. And introverts surely do it better”.
Written by Sonalika Arora