Business

Kramer: Introverts show potential for success in business

J.K. Rowling, Emma Watson and Bill Gates are all introverts. They and many other leaders are introverts, or a person who needs much alone time to recharge from social interaction.

Within the pages of the yet-to-be-published Journal of Research in Personality, there will be a study that claims extroverts, people who are more outspoken and outgoing, are happier compared to introverts. It will not be the first to suggest that.

Happiness, of course, is an emotion that is hard for any study to measure. But what’s more clear is the longstanding cultural belief that extroversion and the ongoing willingness to talk and be social is key to great leadership and likability, especially in the business world.

Ever since Susan Cain published her book, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking,” that theory has effectively began its spiraling crash and burn. Research on how introverts operate is showing that they can be some of the best leaders this world has to offer.

To understand the role of introverts in business, it is first most important to understand them as people. Studies vary in their findings, but most researchers agree that introverts make up between one-third and one-half of the U.S. population. They are typically the ones being dragged to parties, requiring a few hours to themselves every day and avoiding meaningless small talk. They prefer to interact one-on-one and analyze their own ideas before they speak them out. They love socializing, but need time to recharge through solitude.



Such a personality is not an abnormality. It is a unique attribute — one that needs to be recognized and appreciated by everyone, especially those who are more sociable and outgoing. There needs to be more understanding and less asking, “Why are you so quiet?”

The introvert’s role in the business world has come into the light in recent years, aided by the findings of numerous studies regarding the efficiency of introverts in sales and leadership. Managers are finally realizing that the outspoken ones aren’t always right, and that there is quieter talent elsewhere in the office that needs to be heard.

Susan Cain also reported in an August 2012 article from The Atlantic that researchers from the Wharton School found that introverted leaders and salesmen typically deliver better sales records than extroverted ones.

The reasoning is that since introverts are more willing to listen to and comprehend the ideas of their subordinates, they are more likely to let employees develop their own ideas and initiatives rather than try to run the show themselves.

In a July 2012 interview with Harvard Business Review, Cain called for managers to further welcome the introvert in the office, making the point that introverts get the most work done when in a low-key environment, like a meeting of two or three people. Extroverts, by comparison, are stimulated by larger groups of people like a round-table of 10 or more employees. The question to those in leadership positions is: how can we accommodate for both personalities?

This barely scratches the surface of the mounting evidence and research that shows how the “quiet ones” can be the best innovators. Introverts are not shy and they are not antisocial — do not use those words interchangeably. They need time to recharge from interaction and they thrive when they can think by themselves. Extroverts, of course, can be great leaders too; they can motivate and inspire employees that need to be helped along.

The key takeaway is that there is no blueprint for how a leader is supposed to sound or act. The alpha-male blurting out everything that comes through his mind might not be making the best decisions, and the quieter introvert in the back of the meeting might have the best ideas in the room — he or she just needs to be heard.

Phil Kramer is a freshman advertising and marketing management major. His column appears weekly. You can reach him at [email protected] and on Twitter at @PhilipWKramer





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