3 Reasons Why Introverts Make Great Leaders

It is not a must for an Introvert to be the loudest and most highly social person to make a good leader.

You do not need to be the centre of attention in every talk for your leadership skills to be noticed. Your silence is the key. As an introvert, your ability to think before you act can be the strength that lands you a leadership role.

Introverts are as good as an extrovert, if not better. Your personal strengths are the key to making a great leader.

You might ask how Introverts thrive in the extroverted business world. They seek to understand–and play to–their strengths.

It has been reported that a full 40% of executives describe themselves as introverts, including Microsoft’s Bill Gates, the über-investors Warren Buffett and Charles Schwab, Avon’s chief executive, Andrea Jung, and the late publishing giant Katharine Graham. Odds are President Barack Obama is an innie as well. What does that mean? That introverts, not just extroverts, have the right stuff to lead organizations in a go-go, extroverted business culture

Here are three key characteristics that help introverted leaders build on their quiet strength and succeed.

1. Introverts Listen When Others Speak And People Listen When They Speak

The ability to pay attention to what others are saying is one of the key attributes of a good leader. The introvert quietly observes the group, listens to every person’s contribution, and will only speak when they have something meaningful to say.

But, an extrovert will speak out loud which is making them the centre of attraction. To speak funnily, there is a difference of thought-cloud, in extroverts, it comes out of the mouth while in introverts it first comes in mind.

It is said that silence is powerful. Since introverts take long to contribute to a discussion when they eventually talk, their speech is so powerful that it impacts significantly on people and this affords them a positive perception. This is mainly because their contributions are always thoroughly thought out and well developed hence valuable to the group.

2. Intoverts Work Well in Solitude

Bill Gates, one of the world’s richest introverted men, explained how isolation, deep focus, and internalization have helped him succeed in this extrovert-dominated world.

Introverts prefer working alone but are always receptive to suggestions from their proactive employees.

Working in isolation enables them to focus better. Steve Wozniak, the co-founder of Apple, has also stated that you are only able to design revolutionary products when you are working alone. But this desire to work alone shouldn’t be confused with lacking people skills.

3. Introverts Are Problem-Solvers

Problem-solving is the base of all good leadership, and according to research, introverts typically have thicker grey matter in the prefrontal cortex, which is the area of the brain where abstract thinking and decision-making happen. One of the key traits also reflexes to this is that in spite of getting distracted easily they tend to solve the problem more thoroughly.

And because quality work is always the goal for introverts, they don’t settle for mediocrity. For example, an introverted leader will be less likely to approve a project if other team members have objections or misgivings. The best leaders aren’t always the loudest and most noticeable ones, and the idea that introverts can’t make the cut is a dangerously misleading one.

When faced with a problem, an introvert will persist until they get a solution. After all, the ability to solve problems is a bonus trait for any entrepreneur.

An introvert’s ability to think before you act can be the strength that lands you in a leadership role. Introverts are as good as an extrovert, if not better. Your personal strengths are the key to making a great leader.

If you are an introvert, do not try too hard to be an extrovert. Just be yourself and rely on your strengths.