Susan Cain’s book “Quiet” outlines the culture of personality that has infiltrated our society. What used to be - the culture of character - is no longer the norm, as extroversion is expected in leadership positions in business, church, and even relationships with others. This change in culture brings up an extremely important question: is extroversion really the right way? In this post, we will discuss the ideas brought up by Susan Cain and examine them and their validity. We will also go into the pros and cons of each type of personality and explore whether or not there is a “perfect personality?”
In the earlier parts of the book, Susan Cain refers to many studies done on leading CEOs and business leaders and undermines the assumption about extroversion being better leaders in the sense of producing good results. What those studies discovered was that extroverted leaders were often times perceived as better or more capable leaders, but when looking at performance, the introverted leaders, or the ones who are less excited to be in the spotlight, often produced more results. Why was this? The book explains this phenomenon originating from introverted leaders’ willingness to listen to others’ advice and not having to express their own all the time. Because assuming that both extroverted leaders and introverted ones have the same amount of good and bad ideas, the hyper-extroverted ones always dominate the room, and more of their ideas get implemented, whether good or bad. The introverted leaders, however, are often times more thoughtful and willing to let others voice their opinions. They will only voice their stance when they are extremely confident, compared to those taught by the Harvard Business School to be decisive even when they only have 55% certainty.
Now, don’t get me wrong, having an extroverted personality can undoubtedly help in the pursuit of being a leader, but it will take that extra mindfulness to account for others’ viewpoints and be sure that the correct and best decision is being made based on the circumstances. On the other hand, introversion has its own strengths: thoughtfulness and allowing others to speak to encourage thoughtful discourse in the chase for better solutions. However, it is also essential to be loud and to command attention so that when there is a good idea or an excellent solution, your voice will not be drowned out, and you will be heard. Leadership is not a science; it is an art. From the book, we learn how introverts can be leaders by utilizing their advantage and compensating in some areas. The same is true for extroverted individuals; they should take advantage of their strengths but keep in mind their shortcomings and ways to mitigate them.
If you’re an introvert like me, I hope this helps. And if you’re an extrovert like Tony Robbins, don’t forget to listen to others’ perspectives; we have two ears but one mouth for a reason.
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