In this week’s issue of Business Week, Jack and Suzy Welch took a crack at answering this Age Old Question in their column “The Welchway”.
Here is the Question: Do you really have to be an Extrovert to be a powerful team leader or can a more introverted person rise up the corporate ladder with equal ease. This is a very important question since the world of people is divided pretty equally between the more Extroverted and Introverted Personalities.
Now, Jack Welch says the answer is “YES” … We say “NO” … here’s why …
We see this Introvert/extravert issue in our training business all the time when teaching Meeting Facilitation Skills. The more introverted people in the class have a lot of resistence to getting up and projecting their voice to the room. For most introverted folks it is not that they cannot project and lead from the front of the room … it is just not where they are most comfortable. And this can have a HUGE IMPACT on your team.
Personalities aside … it is about your Energy and Attitude
In our experience, Leadership comes down to just two things - ENERGY & ATTITUDE. As a leader, your Energy is contagious. Your people will model exactly the Energy and Attitude you project. And a little Extroverted Energy never hurts … no matter what it takes for you to muster it.
Here’s What Jack Welch says about Extroversion and Leadership
“… in a big, bureaucratic enterprise, atmospheric conditions just give extroverts a marked advantage. … So get out there, mix, speak more often, and connect with both your team and others, deploying all the energy and personality you can muster.”
And here is our spin …
- You don’t have to be an Extrovert to be an effective leader.
- You do have to be capable of reaching outside yourself to connect with the team using the Energy and Attitude you wish them to apply to the task at hand.
- AND this is a skill that can be practiced and learned … Bill Gates is an excellent example.
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Janice Pence 07.29.09 at 2:21 pm
I got to tell you, this whole Extroverted leader thing really drives me up the wall. Many people assume that an Introvert will cave under pressure or cannot handle dealing with a large group of people. This is the biggest contradiction of all time.
Is there one of the Myers Briggs Personality Types that is more leadership prone? Maybe, I don’t know. But each of us can learn to adapt ourselves to what we need to do.
Dike Drummond MD CPC 07.29.09 at 6:22 pm
We agree completely Janice.
You do NOT have to be extroverted to be a powerful leader. What you do have to muster is a connection with the people on your team. In many cases, more introverted individuals do that on a deeper level than the more extroverted … especially in one-on-one interactions.
The requirement is to care about your people and let them know that. Care about what they think. Care about “what’s in it for them”.
Well said,
Dike
Janice Pence 07.30.09 at 5:07 am
Last night I went to bed thinking about this - and ended up waking up to research it. I am an Introvert and after any Team building session there is always a disposition to label the Introverts as backwards or shy. Its just we thinking with our heads and by talking!
Anyway, I researched my MBTI type online and found I share the same type (ISTJ) as many presidents and even Warren Buffett.
I guess in the end its just office labeling and I need to find a better way to combat it. We are all capable people and can do anything if we have the determination and drive.
Dike Drummond MD CPC 07.30.09 at 8:42 am
Right on with your research. Our experience is that your basic premise is true. Leaders do NOT have to be extroverts.
If you are not naturally extroverted … don’t try to lead like one who is. Find your own style.
Warren Buffet
Bill Gates
and too many other leaders to name are not “rock stars” in the extrovert world and are great leaders.
Engagement and the ability to connect with and inspire your team is still the key.
My two cents,
Dike