Spear thistle and blackberry leaves.
15 Things
Introverts Don’t Do At Work That Makes Them Excel
David K. William
Raise your hand if you’re an introvert.
Introverts are everywhere (one out of every two or three
people you know).
And they are like icebergs. What you see on the surface
is only a small percentage
of their entire selves. It’s just that they don’t usually
help people to see the rest of them
or the strengths they bring to the work environment.
If you work with an introverted person,
you’re going to
have to look for the substance underneath
to fully appreciate introverts have incredibly valuable
input at work.
Keep in mind that introversion seems to increase with
intelligence
so that more than 75% of people with an IQ above 160 are
introverted.
Here are fifteen things introverts don’t do at work
that gives them a marked edge to excel in the workplace.
1. They don’t speak before they think.
While most extroverts will interrupt you when you are
trying to say something
because they can’t wait for their turn to speak,
introverts will take their time before opening
their mouth, quietly listening and reflecting in their
head instead of thinking out loud.
Joe McHugh, vice president of executive services for the
Edina, Minnesota,
office of Right Management Consultants explains:
“Colleagues and bosses need to realize
that introverts often don’t know what they think
immediately, and that they need time to think things through before coming to a
conclusion.” It’s critical, Joe stresses,
that you “circle back to introverts after they’ve had some time to consider
things.”
2. They don’t encourage endless small talk.
This is especially true when it comes to engaging with a
raging extrovert because,
let’s be honest, office small talk is a drain. It
will put any introvert out of her element.
Unlike extroverts who are energized by such interactions,
introverts are exhausted and or bored
by them. Introverts prefer much deeper conversations,
ideally about philosophical ideas.
Sophia Dembling, author of The Introvert’s Way: Living a
Quiet Life in a Noisy World,
explains that it ultimately comes down to how a person
receives (or doesn’t receive)
energy from his or her surroundings.
3. They don’t
crave attention or the limelight.
The thing with introverts is that popularity contests
aren’t their thing.
They do their best work on their own and don’t really
like attention.
This is in stark contrast with what extroverts generally
like.
Extroverts tend to engage in boisterous,
attention-seeking behaviors and demonstrate
great enthusiasm and assertiveness in a bid to gain
external recognition and or reward.
It’s no wonder introverts are often overlooked for
leadership roles,
even though they make the most thoughtful leaders when
selected.
4. They don’t sit
all day at their desk, cursing the world and shunning daylight.
Just because introverts like to be alone and don’t like
small talk or being in the limelight
doesn’t mean they are disheveled, anti-social misfits or
loners.
They don’t sit all day at their desk cursing the world
and shunning daylight.
Introverts sit quietly incubating new ideas and executing
plans for success.
They create brilliant works of art, launch start-ups, and
lead major corporations.
They are happy to bring you along with them,
just as long as you don’t insist on introducing a noisy
crowd into their world.
5. They don’t
patronize those they lead or supervise.
The reason introverts do so well in leadership positions
is because they thrive by listening carefully, even to suggestions from below.
It is second nature for introverted bosses to listen, appreciate and validate great ideas,
and highly unlikely for them to
treat those they lead condescendingly.
Take Doug
Conant, an introvert and former CEO of Campbell’s Soup, for example.
Doug has been celebrated for writing more than 30,000
personalized thank you notes
to his employees. It’s hard to imagine an extrovert doing
that.
6. They generally
don’t evoke negative emotions in others.
Studies suggest that extroverts feel more positive emotions
than introverts
due in part to the former’s larger networks. However, it
turns out; extroverts don’t always cause other people to feel those same
positive emotions. In fact, studies of work groups show
that extroverts actually have slightly more difficult
relationships with teammates
and elicit more negative emotions in others compared to
introverts.
Many extroverts, consequently, often start out with
higher status but lose it over time.
7. They don’t mind
networking as extroverts when necessary.
Many introverts are friendly and sociable. They are just
as comfortable networking as extroverts because their low-key demeanor is far
removed from being shy. As author Susan Cain reiterated
in her 2012
TED Talk titled The Power of Introverts, “Shyness is about fear of social
judgment. Introversion is more about how do you respond to stimulation,
including social stimulation.”
So there are many shy extroverts, who are hesitant and
self-conscious when dealing
with new people, but love going to rock concerts. And
there are also many sociable introverts
who will easily strike up a conversation with people at
parties until it’s time to retire to their quieter, more laid-back and
preferred environments.
8. They don’t stay
silent on topics they’re passionate about.
The prevailing stereotype in many workplaces is that
extroverts are charismatic
and not shy of speaking, while introverts are shy and
never speak up.
The truth, however, is that introverts won’t speak unless
they have something important to say
and or are deeply passionate about a topic.
“Speaking is not an act of extroversion,” observes
Malcolm Gladwell, an introverted writer
who spends a lot of time on stage. “It has nothing to do
with extroversion.
It’s a performance, and many performers are hugely
introverted.”
Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, Ph.D, a certified speaking
professional, concurs:
“At least half of people who speak for a living are
introverted in nature,” she says.
“They succeed on stage – just not in the chit-chat
afterwards.”
9. They don’t act
rashly.
Introverts have an attitude of observance, reflection and
caution. They don’t act rashly.
Instead, they pause before action and are
characteristically sure and steady.
This pause, often mistaken for hesitation, gives them
time to study and analyze situations
so that the actions taken make the most sense in the long
run.
In contrast, extroverts tend to be more spontaneous and
respond immediately, adapting as necessary after engagement. Acting in haste is
not necessarily bad, but it is often dangerous.
10. They don’t
support superficial office politics and gossip.
There are a many shallow people in our workplaces. These
people knowingly or unknowingly
prefer to keep things light and superficial. If you are
not careful,
you can easily get swept away by their endless chitchat, politics and gossip.
Fortunately for introverts, they naturally don’t enjoy
small talk or empty chitchat
that has no real substance, and that doesn’t go beyond
the surface.
Introverts just won’t give gossip the time of day, and discussing
other people’s business
with everyone truly isn’t in their DNA.
11. They don’t
feel bored working long hours.
Introverts have an impressive ability to focus deeply on
one activity. They actually enjoy
(and thrive) working long hours by themselves
in environments that are quiet and peaceful.
By contrast, extroverts dread being alone for extended
periods of time and easily get bored
doing one thing for too long. That being said, introverts
are distracted
and sometimes overwhelmed by crowds in loud, open office
spaces.
12. They don’t mind taking on solo
projects.
While extroverts love working in groups or teams and
dread solo projects,
introverts work well on one-to-one relationships and are
naturally drawn to more creative,
detail-oriented solo careers that allows them to “dive
in” with few interruptions.
The latter’s ability to focus deeply on a subject and
work long hours by themselves
make them perfectly suited for certain professions, such
as researchers,
behind-the-scenes tech workers, in-the-field natural
scientists and writers.
13. They don’t appreciate interruptions when working.
Introverts don’t like being interrupted until their work
is finished
because it causes them to abandon focus or thought on the
current project.
Besides, most interruption by friends requires a certain
level of small talk that introverts avoid.
Introverts will actually screen phone calls and let calls
go to voicemail so they can return them later when they have the time and
energy to dedicate to the conversation. On the other hand,
many extroverts secretly enjoy being interrupted
occasionally by colleagues and friends
after working on one thing for an extended period of time
because it breaks the silence
and dispels boredom.
14. They don’t
miss deadlines easily.
Tim Backes, career adviser at resumegenius.com,
reveals that most introverts don’t need supervision.
That’s because they are good at processing information
and planning ahead.
“As long as goals and deadlines are understood, there’s
no need to hover over their shoulders
and micromanage,” he says. “You’ll get the most out
of an introverted employee
by giving them clear expectations and a lot of space.”
15. They don’t
hate people or colleagues.
Just because introverts are self-reflective and dislike
being interrupted at work
doesn’t mean they hate people.
Far from it; they just tend to do their best work on
their own, prefer a few good friends
over many acquaintances, and need to be given air time as
they typically will not demand it.
Once you give them that and understand they are more
reserved,
you can establish a deep and fulfilling personal and professional relationship
with them.
And you want to be friends with introverts because, in a
word,
they are hard-wired for excellence in whatever field of
specialty they choose at work.
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/work/15-things-introverts-dont-work-that-makes-them-excel.html
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