By: Mohammad Amin Rasyidi

What constitutes great leaders? Majority of the public associate leadership with extroversion, where they conform to certain traits such as charismatic, effusive, and outgoing (Nobel, 2010). When we look at it from a psychological perspective, there is some truth behind it. Deep down, subconsciously, people have tendencies to be awed by someone who is more outspoken since this reflects confidence. Over and above that, confident people are considered the most inspiring and charismatic, thus leading to the massive misleading conclusion whoever talks the loudest is the best possible leader.

Meanwhile, on the other hand, introverts have been regarded as shy and quiet, with lousy public speaking skills. Thus, for many years they have been neglected and pushed away from promotion opportunities, unfit to be a leader. Cited from Constantino (2022), Susan Cain, a best-selling author and one of TED's most popular speakers, noted that introverts tend to be viewed as incapable of becoming leaders and inferior to their extroverted counterparts. Furthermore, Cain said, "The bias in our culture against introversion is so deep and so profound, and we internalize it at such an early age. Introverts are "routinely passed up" for leadership positions."

Is it always the case, though? Or is it just a baseless assumption?

Despite all the accusations, introverts are not necessarily shy, quiet, or bad at public speaking. Those are only myths. Those subpar qualities can not be proven to impact or even be associated with introverts directly. A study led by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman asked more than 300.000 business professionals to rank the top traits sought in leaders, and none of these traits are at odds with the nature of introverts. Nevertheless, based on that same study, there was a stigma against hiring introverts into leadership roles according to as much as 71% of the total respondents, which consists of business professionals.

According to Crockett (2021), these stigmas were caused by a shift in the public's perception of great leadership from a person who can garner and encourage collective success to solely an outward spokesman who is more interested in public perception than team building. Furthermore, Crockett (2021) highlighted that, unlike their extrovert counterparts who get energy from other people, introverts are typically introspective, quiet (not necessarily shy), and observant. On the surface, these characteristics seem to support the dire images of introverts, but in actuality, that is far from the truth. Waida (2021) brought a new perspective that could tear down the three prominent stigmas that dragged down introverts: faster is good, louder is better, and expressive is best.

Extroverts enjoy expressing their ideas as soon as they have them. It is particularly true when they are sighted in groups since they can switch between subjects. Conversely, introverts prefer to take their time when speaking to a group. They frequently take their time and consider things over. It gives their actions a certain amount of diplomacy, supported by an inherently introspective nature; in the end, they can excel when handling delicate subjects.

On to the next issue, louder is not always better. An extrovert is widely known for being enthusiastic and seen as the life of the room, while their counterpart is regarded as "sticks in the mud." But, this reserved demeanor has been proven to be paramount in circumstances where strategic action is valued. Quiet and confidence are more beneficial as they impose quality rather than quantity.

Lastly, expressive could be worse. While being a loud, proud leader has numerous advantages, there are instances when being humble is a better course of action. It is especially true when clients and partners come from different cultural backgrounds in certain circumstances. For example, many European countries find an introvert's more subdued, tranquil demeanor more agreeable than the stereotypically outgoing American style.

In accordance with Waida, Crockett (2021) also points out key strengths to tackle another four stigmas that have been regarded as the downside of introverts, namely: shying away from leadership roles, lack of the "people skills" to lead, bad communicators, and avoid collaborating with others.

The accusation of introverts shying away from leadership roles is baseless as it is already widely known that many world leaders or CEOs categorize themselves as introverts. Many top dogs in the modern world, like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Elon Musk, are introverts, not to mention the big brass from the past, like Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi.

Besides, having people skills to lead is not always the right course of action. Crockett (2021) said that a recent analysis of a database consisting of approximately 17.000 executives found that, while a charismatic person was more than twice as likely to be hired as a CEO, this likelihood does not correlate with a better performance whatsoever. On the contrary, the same study showed that introverted leaders far outperformed expectations.

In addition, an introvert is not necessarily bad at communicating; it is scientifically proven that they tend to use more concrete and precise language to describe things. They might take longer to contribute, but when they do, they make sure it's well-thought-out and worthwhile. This way of communicating can be beneficial in a leadership capacity.

On to the last stigmas, cited from Crockett (2021), "a Harvard study found that extroverts excel at leading passive teams (employees who simply follow commands), but are far less effective at leading "proactive" teams where everyone contributes ideas. Introverts are often more effective than extroverts at leading proactive teams because they don't feel threatened by collaborative input, are more receptive to suggestions, and are more attentive to micro-expressions. These benefits can have a measurable impact on profitability and productivity." So, the allegation that introverts tend to avoid collaboration with others is untrue.

To sum up, introverts have never been inferior to their counterparts in leadership skills; all of it was only bogus assumptions to undermine them. Furthermore, cited from Farrell (2017), Boss (2015) provides six introverts' strengths and reasons why they cut to be great leaders, prudent, learn by listening, leverage their quiet nature, demonstrate humility, manage uncertainty, and comfortable working alone. While introverts need to adapt to an extrovert world, they are best and most comfortable using their preferred styles. That said, introverts could gain the upper hand by garnering the best of these two worlds were they maximize their potential.

Lastly, quoted from Stephens-Craig et al. (2015), "By redefining effective leadership traits, changing common misperceptions of leadership and connecting those traits of introverted leaders, patterns can be established to show that introverted leaders have a place in upper management and can be as effective as those who currently fit the popular 'profile' of an effective leader." On a final note, organizations that can embrace introverts' qualities may gain immensely from them, as they have as good attributes as their counterparts.

References

Constantino, Annika Kim. (2022). Introverts are ‘routinely passed up’ for promotions—but have 3 traits that can make great leaders, says best-selling author Susan Cain (online article). Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/23/susan-cain-why-introverts-can-be-great-leaders.html

Crockett, Zachary. (2021). These benefits can have a measurable impact on profitability and productivity (online article). Retrieved from https://thehustle.co/65-of-execs-think-introverts-are-bad-leaders-heres-why-thats-bs/

Farrell, Maggie. (2017). Leadership Reflections. Journal of Library Administration.

Monych, Bonnie. The surprising reasons why introverts make exceptional leaders (online article). Retrieved from https://www.insperity.com/blog/the-surprising-reasons-why-introverts-make-exceptional-leaders/

Nobel, Carmen. (2010). Introverts: The Best Leaders for Proactive Employees (online article). Retrieved from https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/introverts-the-best-leaders-for-proactive-employees

Stephens-Craig, D., Kuofie, M., & Dool, R. (2015). Perception of introverted leaders by mid- to high-level leaders. Journal of Marketing & Management.

Waida, Maria. (2021). How to Find Your Power as an Introvert Leader: Top Tips (online article). Retrieved from https://www.wrike.com/blog/6-reasons-introverts-make-great-leaders/#Why-introvert-leaders-are-a-benefit-to-businesses