I frequently teach graduate level courses for aspiring leaders. Most of these working professionals have experience ranging from a couple years to several decades. My classes deal with topics such as how an organization is a system that affects the behavior of its members, leadership as specific behavior rather than formal position, the nature of power and influence, dynamics of leading change, and others. One of the most rewarding aspects of this role is my ability to observe the awakening among these capable adults as I guide them to reflect on their own workplaces and interactions.
Among my students who are introverts as well as clients and friends, I sometimes have heard comments similar to these that seem to reflect how their boss may be managing as an extrovert, among other traits:
She has to weigh-in and meddle in every issue.
He sends out masses of emails with delegated tasks on tight deadlines that serve mainly to flatter his own stature in the organization.
She forces me to think on a dime when I need time to reflect.
He doesn't listen.
While it's usually possible to see how such bosses can continue to maintain their authority role, it makes us question their ability to truly lead in a way that generates respect and shows integrity. It also can make us cynical if we accept that is all it takes to climb the corporate ladder. And, in fact, research shows that frequently extroverts do garner more promotions and make more money than introverts.
A classic but largely hidden conflict lies between diligent introverts and their extroverted bosses yet it seems that many bosses are extroverted. It takes concentrated effort to apply the principles (summarized in my first book) of asserting your right to be different - to seek time to reflect, to rely on competence rather than glib talk, to build influence by trading expertise, and so on. The first step of accepting your introversion as a strength can be relatively easy compared to the ongoing challenge of an extroverted boss. It can be surmounted, of course, mainly by developing a strong personal connection coupled with your innate competence and a good dose of assertiveness (as you follow the plan). But the cost of an extroverted boss to energy and time sometimes can be high.
Isn't it time that organizations and their executives rethink personnel decisions that are founded in culturally stuck stereotypes? Dr. Greg Gull says: "Until we make ... organizations as social systems in service to humankind ... human development will remain unrealized, a fantasy."
Organizations and workplaces serve all of us, with our diverse personalities and ways of being in the world. Extroverts have no automatic pass to the management suite.
Competent introverted professionals will continue to expend needless energy abiding an extroverted boss until our work culture recognizes that one doesn't need to be an extrovert to manage, much less to lead. By discarding the myth of leadership as control by talk and hair-trigger movement, organizations might avoid waste of much precious introvert potential.
Among my students who are introverts as well as clients and friends, I sometimes have heard comments similar to these that seem to reflect how their boss may be managing as an extrovert, among other traits:
She has to weigh-in and meddle in every issue.
He sends out masses of emails with delegated tasks on tight deadlines that serve mainly to flatter his own stature in the organization.
She forces me to think on a dime when I need time to reflect.
He doesn't listen.
While it's usually possible to see how such bosses can continue to maintain their authority role, it makes us question their ability to truly lead in a way that generates respect and shows integrity. It also can make us cynical if we accept that is all it takes to climb the corporate ladder. And, in fact, research shows that frequently extroverts do garner more promotions and make more money than introverts.
A classic but largely hidden conflict lies between diligent introverts and their extroverted bosses yet it seems that many bosses are extroverted. It takes concentrated effort to apply the principles (summarized in my first book) of asserting your right to be different - to seek time to reflect, to rely on competence rather than glib talk, to build influence by trading expertise, and so on. The first step of accepting your introversion as a strength can be relatively easy compared to the ongoing challenge of an extroverted boss. It can be surmounted, of course, mainly by developing a strong personal connection coupled with your innate competence and a good dose of assertiveness (as you follow the plan). But the cost of an extroverted boss to energy and time sometimes can be high.
Isn't it time that organizations and their executives rethink personnel decisions that are founded in culturally stuck stereotypes? Dr. Greg Gull says: "Until we make ... organizations as social systems in service to humankind ... human development will remain unrealized, a fantasy."
Organizations and workplaces serve all of us, with our diverse personalities and ways of being in the world. Extroverts have no automatic pass to the management suite.
Competent introverted professionals will continue to expend needless energy abiding an extroverted boss until our work culture recognizes that one doesn't need to be an extrovert to manage, much less to lead. By discarding the myth of leadership as control by talk and hair-trigger movement, organizations might avoid waste of much precious introvert potential.
