…is NOT always the best leader. When you think about a leader do you picture a rich fat old guy sitting in a leather chair talking about how he changed the world and it is because of him that everyone is lucky enough to have a job? This is not always the case. Sometimes the most muted members of a business team are the true leaders. Within my own experiences it is usually the latter of these two scenarios. I have worked for companies and with companies where when the head manager of a company is in the room he is looked at as almost a deity, but when it came down to brass tacks they did very little to actually “lead”. An example of this would be when I worked for an education sales company. We had a CEO that many of the managers thought was visionary and was changing the landscape of the very business model, however no one ever had interactions with him, and he did little to motivate. Conversely, in the trenches we had a sales operations manager who was very quiet, kept to herself, but was always side by side with the employees aiming to help them do their jobs better as well as helping them to succeed. In my mind this is the sense of the true leader.
As stated in this article from Inc.com, the author, John Brandon, saw these same instances come and go from the other side of the page. He was an introvert manager and many times his employees had a hard time understanding him. However, once he was able to see his true hidden self, he was able to adapt and lead successfully. This goes to show that the best leaders aren’t always the loudest guy in the room, but often the quiet one with their head down getting the job done.
Source:
Brandon, John. Inc.com. 30 Aug. 2013. http://www.inc.com/john-brandon/introvert-extrovert-personality-type-leadership.html
Chelsea Lenz says
I feel so grateful that there seem to be many people in our class that disagree with the idea that extraverts are the best leaders. I have read a few blog entries and discussion boards about this topic now and it is refreshing to hear that there are people who agree with me in that introverts can make great leaders as well! I am an introvert and I have been a leader in many different settings throughout my life, including in my current career. I plan to continue on a path through various levels of leadership, and I know that being in introvert actually allows me to contribute a unique set of skills that are not always carried by extraverts.
There is a fantastic article in the Business Insider about why introverts make the best leaders. The article discusses how introverts make good listeners, and they are always prepared. They enjoy alone time which allows them to think problems through thoroughly without making rash decisions. More to your point, you are so correct in says that “the loudest guy in the room is not always the best leader.” In fact, as a follower, I have always shied away from the loud guy, or the overly talkative and overly confident leader. I feel uneasy around people who act in this manner, and I have a difficult time trusting them in general.
If you want to read the whole article, you can view it online here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140901044830-169955770-why-introverts-are-better-leaders
I see all of these qualities within myself and my fellow introverted leaders. Like the author states, it is not about trying to separate the community by way of extraverts or introverts, but it is about giving credit where credit is due, and perhaps seeing introverts in a different light. Much of the studies on leadership tend to be focused on giving extraverts much of the credit for being the greatest leaders, and I am glad that the tide seems to be turning. Society should recognize that there is no one personality type that is best for all leadership situations, and that introverts do in fact have the ability to be great leaders.
Thank you for taking the time to post this article!
Kelly Jeanette Renaud says
The article by John Brandon is a good first hand account of the importance for a leader to understand their personality and appreciate the fact that it can limit his or her ability in certain leadership situations. Brandon, an introvert, made the effort to realize the need to improve his communication skills. His efforts noticeably led to better understanding from his team.
Leaders must make a concerted effort to truly understand their personality traits and accept some of their traits as limiting their effectiveness to lead. They must then make a concerted effort to make adjustments in order to compensate for those tendencies. This can be done through self study or by attending leadership training seminars.
Not only will the leader feel the sense of accomplishment when they see their effort paying off, their followers will appreciate the efforts they made in tangible ways.