Introversion
(How does leadership manifest itself in introverts?)
If you are an introvert, you probably know how it feels like to be routinely passed over for leadership roles in school, in an organization or in college. The daring boy who always speaks his mind and raises his hands in class is always recognized as a better student representative than the introverts in the room. The frustration and disappointment that introverts have to go through because of the common misunderstanding that they are shy or anti-social has probably left a negative impact in your life. For centuries, people have preferred extroverted leaders rather than introverted leaders because great leaders are always characterized as gregarious and charismatic (McHugh,
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By nature, these leaders are well organized and are willing put a lot of thinking into each matter, making them detailed and precise when compared to their extroverted counterparts. These leadership qualities are however often overlooked in the characteristic of a good leader. Introversion and extroversion are concepts that were founded by Carl Jung, a personality theorist that explained the differences between these two extremes. Introverts are people who are more reserved as they relish solitude. They have an active inner life, and are at their best when in deep thoughts. Extroverts, however are more energetic and prefer a higher level of stimulation in their surroundings compared to introverts (Cain, 2013). Both personality have different leadership styles, but are equally competitive. For this reason, introverts should be given the opportunity to lead because there needs to be a balance in an organization so that the best outcomes can be obtained. The misconception that extroverted leaders are the only good trait of a good leader must be justified or else we will continue to live in a world with no balance, of all “yang and no yin” (Cain, 2011). Hence, introverts do have strong …show more content…
Based on my view, introverts have their own unique set of leadership qualities that can definitely excel in work efficiency and productivity. Their drive to achieve success has definitely mold them to become experts in their fields. Prominent leaders like Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi and Barrack Obama portray their leadership skills through embracing their introverted qualities making them some of the great leaders of all time. Most importantly, introverts all around the globe should be aware of their potential to lead because the world needs more leaders like them. This is also vital for introverts to acknowledge so that they too can have the courage and confidence to assert themselves in leadership roles in the future. Hence, introverts should be given the opportunity to lead as they have valuable leadership qualities that can help produce a future generation of great
The book Quiet by Susan Cain explains that extroverts are the type of people who are talkative and sociable, therefore, they could easily get others' attention during various conversations with the topics that they are discussing. Introverts, on the other hand, are the more quiet type. The ideas from introverts are usually drowned because they do not talk as much as the extroverts do. Introverts don’t expect themselves to handle leadership positions, but it doesn’t mean they cannot be successful leaders at their jobs. We often assume that talker as smarter than the quiet type and perceive talkers as leaders. However, introverts actually make the best leaders by carefully listen to what their followers have to say; not only because introverts gain knowledge by listening, but also their abilities to demonstrate modesty and they are extremely
For example, when asked a question at work I often answer with “give me just one second”, or “ill get back to you”. Most introverts need time for internal reflection. A chance to process the question and think about my response. Introverts make great listeners, are studious, and are okay with solitary activities (The Personality Page, n.d.). However, most introverts have a hard time with external communication and are sometimes perceived as being non-social (The Personality Page,
As a leader one of the strategies that I must follow to develop and improve my leadership is my social skills. According to my MBTI my personality is INTJ, which gave me a proportion of Introvert (19%), iNtuitive (27%), Thinking (31%), Judging (72%), these proportion of be introverted and intuitive correspond to a reality that many times makes that I look shy and litter communicative creating a barrier between me and my partners.
German psychologist Hans Eysenck’s Model of Nervous System Temperament links temperament traits, specifically introversion and extraversion to the Central Nervous System. Introverted people are typically quiet, reserved, and timid whereas extraverts are active, sociable, and outgoing (151). According to Eysenck, introverts have high levels of brain arousal, which is controlled by the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS). Therefore, introverts do not need to seek external arousal leading them to be more reserved. Contrastingly, he argues that extraverts have lower levels of brain arousal and therefore are more sensation seeking in order to make up for it. In this paper, I will aim to synthesize and summarize some of the research regarding introversion and extraversion and their link to the central nervous system and states of arousal. I will synthesize this information to support the idea that while introversion and extraversion are on some level linked to states of arousal, Eysenck’s arousal hypothesis is not alone sufficient to explain the biological differences between introverted and extraverted individuals and their behaviors as such.
In “Neat People vs. Sloppy People,” Britt mentions that neat people are extremely fast at cognitive thinking more so than sloppy people (Britt 355). Rauch in “Caring for Your Introvert,” claims that introverts are more intelligent than their extrovert counterparts (Rauch 521). People that are quick thinker aren’t always the smartest people; they are fast at making a decision, but it could very well be the wrong one. Neat introverts however, are people that are not only able to think on their feet but are also able to make wise decisions due to their intelligence. It would be most helpful in world leaders to have these traits especially in times of trouble. Those leaders would be able to think out a successful solution to any imminent problems that faced their nations and the world. If there ever was a launch of missiles at the United States, a neat introvert President would be the best person to handle the situation because of their fast thinking process combined with their ability to create intelligent results. Neat introverts can use these two skills in their everyday life in order to make lightning fast smart decisions such as when they go to bargain at a car dealership or want to make a romantic date go smooth. In today’s society of everything on the go, neat introverts shine with their ability to make choices quickly and
Personality is one of the key aspects that must be addressed when considering what type of attribute a leader needs. Personality has two meanings. The first meaning refers to the impression a person makes on others his social reputation. It describes him or her as pushy, honest, outgoing, impulsive, decisive, friendly or independent. From the standpoint of leadership, this view of personality addresses two issues: “What kind of leader or person is this?” and “Is this somebody I would like to work for or be associated
There has yet to be any determining evidence defines the characteristics of extraversion. The experimenters in this particular experiment have hypothesized that the facets of extraversion are somehow linked by reward sensitivity. This hypothesis was also tested against a model in which they are linked by sociability. There has been much work on this topic in the past, beginning with the works of Jung and James in the early 20th century—to the work of Watson and Clark in 1997. And even after a century of study, they are still unable to truly define the characteristics of the extraversion dimension of personality. In the many attempts to define extraversion, Watson and Clark have defined six basic facets of the personality trait. These are: venturesome, affiliation, positive affectivity, energy, ascendance, and ambition. Researchers Depue and Collins, in 1999, also offered a more succinct depiction of the characteristics of extraversion, this only having three basic parts. The first being affiliation, the enjoyment and value of close interpersonal bonds, also being warm and affectionate. The second, agency, being socially dominant, enjoying leadership roles, being assertive and exhibitionistic, and having a sense of potency in accomplishing goals. The final facet being impuslivity, but this one has been argued upon whether it should be included at all in the characteristics of extraversion at all.
Just and introvert and extrovert are opposites of each other, the other types that make up a person personality are also opposite each other. This is best explained on the Meyer-Briggs Foundations website which describes four “dichotomies.” Introvert and extrovert are the first set of dichotomies, followed by sensing and intuition, thinking and feeling, and judging and perceiving. The combination of these characteristics make up one’s personality type. (Myers and Briggs Foundation) By using Jung’s theories we can analyze each character and identify what it is that makes the character relatable.
I fall into a unique, more introverted and innovative personality type. Generally speaking, leaders are often expected to be extroverts. That seems to be the societal ideal. However, there were some well known introverts such Einstein, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela that obviously were successful leaders and innovators with a mission that suited them. I am motivated to lead if the mission has integrity and is an area of interest to me. Those factors feed my extroverted side. I like to improve systems and processes; one can put specialized projects and problems in front of me or ask me to create a growth opportunity and I will run with it. Our textbook The Art of Leadership by George Manning/Kent Curtis describes the most important traits of leadership as the need for achievement, possessing intelligence, self confidence, initiative, supervisory ability, and decisiveness (Manning). I am an intelligent problem solver and I can see many paths for growth. With right mission I can be very self- confident, I show initiative and supervisory ability. I can sometimes be slow on decisiveness so I try to identify
Why is it a common belief that all leaders, whether they are entrepreneurs, presidents, or civil rights activists, are extroverts? According to Carl G. Jung, extroversion is defined as the “concentration of interest on the external object” (Helgoe, 2008, p. 5). Furthermore, Jung states that introversion is described as the “orientation in life through subjective psychic contents” (Helgoe, 2008, p. 5). Given these terms, it is expected that one would assume leaders to possess qualities of an extrovert rather than an introvert to sufficiently carry out their responsibilities and expand their power. However, introverts
Trait theories are theories that consider personal qualities and characteristics that differentiate leaders from nonleaders." Early results aimed at confirming this theory were inconclusive. Many research studies were conducted and each identified key traits supposed to differentiate leaders from nonleaders. The problem is that they didn't get the same results, thus failing to discover common traits, which should have shown in each research study. When applying the Big Five Personality framework (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience) to the study and research of leadership traits, results were more encouraging. They showed that the most important trait for leaders was extraversion. Still, this founding sh...
On the other hand, introverts are people who are concerned with and interested in their own mental life and often perceived as more reserved and less outspoken in groups. Unlike extroverts who are feeling energized when they are around a large group of people, introverts have energy drained from them through human interaction. Hence, it is essential for them to spend some alone time to “recharge”. Al...
Introverts are just as capable as extroverts when it comes to becoming a great leader. It is believed that hard problems in the workforce or any leadership situation need to be given a lot of thought and consideration before making a drastic descision; this is a skill that introverts tend to possess (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). Unlike introverts, extroverts have more of a tendency to form solutions to problems without thinking much about the outcome, and they do not spend a lot of time getting other opinions on the matter (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). An introvert by nature asks more questions and listens closely to others which are great leadership skills (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). Unlike that of extroverts, introverts tend to be more capable at controlling negative emotions (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). By doing this, solutions are not determined by emotion, but by other’s input and serious
After understanding the theory behind both the trait and skill approach, I was eager to evaluate and reflect on my own leadership traits. It was interesting to see how the trait approach allowed me to better understand whether or not I have certain traits considered to be important for leadership, while skills approach allowed me to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses in the technical, human and conceptual skills. From completing the Leadership Trait Questionnaire (LTQ) and the Skills Inventory, I was able to reflect more on how I behave towards others in a leadership context, as well as the skills that I currently possess. As a naturally extroverted person, I have been taking on leadership roles from a young age. The findings from these two
Being an introvert should be seen as someone who simply finds pleasure, relaxation, calmness, satisfaction, and tranquility with being by him/herself, a person who feels that loneliness, on the most literal and non harmful level,