Well, if introverts rule, I must be a follower...I'm not really introverted....but I just found this interesting article:
1." When I graduated from Harvard Law School almost 20 years ago, I believed that success belonged to the table pounders of the world, and that my soft-spokenness was a liability. But over the course of my career -- first as a Wall Street lawyer, later a negotiations consultant -- I have learned that introverts, thanks to their tendency to speak quietly and reasonably, to ask questions, and to listen to the answers, can make unusually strong negotiators.
2. Some of our most transformative leaders have been shy or introverted: Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks. All of them were more focused on their causes than on their egos.... from Frédéric Chopin to Charles Darwin.
3. I now worry that our culture is not introverted enough. In today's overscheduled, hyperactive society, we celebrate the alpha approach ... and dramatically undervalue the quieter aspects of our natures -- which, by the way, even the most gregarious of us possess.
4. Many introverts find chitchat, which requires jumping quickly from subject to subject, overstimulating. They seek out deep, serious conversations in which they can focus on a single topic ... the happiest people have twice as many substantive conversations as the unhappiest and participate in far less small talk.
5.Work Alone. "I don't believe anything really revolutionary has ever been invented by committee,...Not on a committee. Not on a team....The evidence from science suggests that businesspeople must be insane to use brainstorming groups," he writes. "If you have talented and motivated people, they should be encouraged to work alone when creativity or efficiency is the highest priority."
6. Read More. Reading, for instance, can be a deeply social act, putting you inside other people's minds. The introverted writer Marcel Proust called reading "that fruitful miracle of a communication in the midst of solitude." And studies suggest that reading makes people more empathetic and improves social skills by helping us better understand our fellow humans.
7. Listen Well. ...subordinates respected him because he listened to them. It turns out that listening is key to good leadership: New research by Grant and his colleagues has revealed that introverted leaders often deliver better outcomes than extroverts, because they're more likely to consider other people's suggestions.
8. Use quiet commitment to achieve your goals. ...many introverts use a form of power so subtle that power almost seems the wrong word. Instead of taking strong stands in a loud voice, they make insightful suggestions in a gentle tone."
Secrets of a super successful introvert - CNN.com
Go ahead, introverts....stand up and cheer!
1." When I graduated from Harvard Law School almost 20 years ago, I believed that success belonged to the table pounders of the world, and that my soft-spokenness was a liability. But over the course of my career -- first as a Wall Street lawyer, later a negotiations consultant -- I have learned that introverts, thanks to their tendency to speak quietly and reasonably, to ask questions, and to listen to the answers, can make unusually strong negotiators.
2. Some of our most transformative leaders have been shy or introverted: Abraham Lincoln, Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks. All of them were more focused on their causes than on their egos.... from Frédéric Chopin to Charles Darwin.
3. I now worry that our culture is not introverted enough. In today's overscheduled, hyperactive society, we celebrate the alpha approach ... and dramatically undervalue the quieter aspects of our natures -- which, by the way, even the most gregarious of us possess.
4. Many introverts find chitchat, which requires jumping quickly from subject to subject, overstimulating. They seek out deep, serious conversations in which they can focus on a single topic ... the happiest people have twice as many substantive conversations as the unhappiest and participate in far less small talk.
5.Work Alone. "I don't believe anything really revolutionary has ever been invented by committee,...Not on a committee. Not on a team....The evidence from science suggests that businesspeople must be insane to use brainstorming groups," he writes. "If you have talented and motivated people, they should be encouraged to work alone when creativity or efficiency is the highest priority."
6. Read More. Reading, for instance, can be a deeply social act, putting you inside other people's minds. The introverted writer Marcel Proust called reading "that fruitful miracle of a communication in the midst of solitude." And studies suggest that reading makes people more empathetic and improves social skills by helping us better understand our fellow humans.
7. Listen Well. ...subordinates respected him because he listened to them. It turns out that listening is key to good leadership: New research by Grant and his colleagues has revealed that introverted leaders often deliver better outcomes than extroverts, because they're more likely to consider other people's suggestions.
8. Use quiet commitment to achieve your goals. ...many introverts use a form of power so subtle that power almost seems the wrong word. Instead of taking strong stands in a loud voice, they make insightful suggestions in a gentle tone."
Secrets of a super successful introvert - CNN.com
Go ahead, introverts....stand up and cheer!
