Debunking common myths about introverted leaders

Tonya D. Harrison 0:11

Hello and welcome to another episode of Operations Toolbox podcast , where we talk about skill strategies and systems to help you build a highing team . I'm your host , tonya D Harrison , and today I want to shine a spotlight on my introverted leaders . So , being an introvert myself , I understand some of the challenges they're to face . I understand some of the stigmas that are around it and also some of the myths , but at a certain point I learned how to lean in some of the innate skills that I had to help me be even more successful with building a team , and that is what I want to share with you today . So , whether you are an introverted leader yourself or you are managing introverts , this podcast is really gonna give you some nuggets and some tools that you could take with you to help you be even more successful in your leadership journey . So , first things first , I wanna bust some of the myths . So these are some things that I have heard during my journey , and they're some of the things that at one point , I even thought were true , but they're really not true . The first myth that I really want to talk about is the myth that introverts are shy . Now , are there some shy introverts ? Absolutely , there's some shy extroverts . There's some shy ambiverts . There's just shy people within the world . This is not synonymous with an introvert . The truth is it is not the same , and when we're talking about introverts or introversion , we're really talking about where we get our energy from . So for most introverts , we recharge by spending time alone or in one-on-ones or small groups , whereas extroverts tend to thrive in social and high energy environments . That's just not the same for introverts . So no , we're not necessarily shy because we're an introvert . The second myth is introverts can't lead effectively . Now , some of this is what I'll say is old school , but even today , you will hear people say that , oh , I don't know if this person will be able to make a great leader because they don't speak up in meetings and things like that , and that was something that was a question of me early on . So that is a myth . We can make great leaders . In fact , a research that was done by Harvard Business Review showed that introverted leaders often excel in certain environments and with certain types of teams . So it's not a blanket statement that we can't lead . That is personal , right . There are some leaders that are better than others or lead better than others , or more skilled at leading better than others , but it's not specific to being an introvert or not .

Tonya D. Harrison 3:33

The third myth is introverts lack communication skills . Well , yeah

Surprising stats about introverts in leadership

Tonya D. Harrison 3:40

, that's definitely not the case . In fact , introverts are often exceptional communicators because they really take the time to think before they respond and before they speak . So when they engage , it's more on a deeper level . So , yeah , so I want to talk about some not necessarily some surprising stats , but some things that may surprise you when we're talking about introverts . The first thing is there is a stat , and that stat is that 40% of leaders identify as introverts .

Tonya D. Harrison 4:15

Now , that may be more or less than what you thought , but some of your favorite leaders may actually be introverts and they have learned how to lean into their innate abilities and characteristics in order to become powerhouses , and some of those powerhouses and I'm going to say some names that you probably know are number one Bill Gates . He's known for his analytical and strategic thinking , and this is someone who revolutionized technology . Another introvert is Warren Buffett . He is known for being a strategic thinker who values deep analysis over impulsive decisions , which has made him the billionaire that he is . Another one this quiet storm here . Rosa Parks was known to be an introvert . She had a quiet nature but a quiet strength , and she ignited a whole movement that impacted generations . And then , lastly , I'd like to end it with Barack Obama . So we're talking about the myth that introverts could really not be great communicators . Well , barack Obama was known for , or is known for , not only his calm demeanor , but he's also known for his speeches and his communication , and he's known to be an introverted leader . So these are just some leaders that prove that introversion is not a limitation . In fact , it's a strength . So , instead of trying to change who you are , you really want to lean into your strengths and show up as the powerhouse you were meant to be .

Tonya D. Harrison 6:07

So let's talk about what some of the characteristics of being an introverted leader is . The first thing is most introverts are active listeners . We excel when it comes to listening and connecting and being highly empathetic . That is a superpower when we're talking about building high-performing teams . But what else ?

Key characteristics of introverted leaders and how they shine

Tonya D. Harrison 6:34

All right . Number two strategic thinking . Remember , I mentioned Warren Buffett you know what I mean and him being a strategic thinker . So , with introverts , they often prefer to reflect and think before making decisions . So a lot of times , the decisions are well thought out , because they have thought about a lot of things and they've analyzed it and they've reflected on a lot of different things .

Tonya D. Harrison 7:02

Another one is calm under pressure . Now , of course , this isn't all introverts , right , but one of the characteristics is being calm , so most introverts have a composed demeanor and can bring stability in teams during challenging times , which we know . This is super important , right ? So I know , in my career , ended up being with some companies that went through some mergers and acquisitions , and that's always an extremely , extremely tough time . So it was really important for me to remain calm , right , because I didn't want to get all riled up , and then now my team is all riled up , so I had to present myself in a way and I found it really easy to be calm during those times , which was extremely helpful for my team and then , of course , being a part of leadership , it was helpful as well .

Tonya D. Harrison 7:57

Another characteristic is empathy and emotional intelligence . So many introverts have a high level of empathy , which I mentioned before , and it makes building those connections easier and also it puts you in a position where people can easily trust you , and we want to make sure we're doing the right thing with that trust . But this is something , again , that is needed within teams . So now , those are some of the characteristics , but how do you take those innate characteristics and really turn them into superpowers , right that you could use in your day to day with your day to day team ? Well , one of the things is and I'm going to go over four of them you can leverage your listening skills and you could do this during your team meetings by focusing on understanding what is being said and allowing your team to speak first and then you respond . So now , once when you actually contribute , your thoughts are going to be extremely insightful and they're going to consider your audience or your team , and they're going to carry more weight . And not only that , people start to feel heard , which is extremely important .

Tonya D. Harrison 9:18

Another one is build deep connections . So you could use your one-on-ones and if you're not doing one-on-ones , you definitely want to make sure you start to do those

Practical strategies for harnessing introvert superpowers

Tonya D. Harrison 9:29

but you could use your one-on-one meetings to mentor your team members and to also to understand what their motivations are , and this is going to help you drive performance in two ways . Number one now you know how they fit within the team , right , based on their motivations . Is it only about their motivations ? No , but we want to take those things into consideration . But now you get a very good understanding of how they fit within the team and how you can leverage some of those motivations . And then also you understand what it is that they want for themselves and now you can help them on their journey . That's a part of being a leader , right ? It's not only about what we can get from them . It's about how do I help you become who it is that you want to become and do some of the things that you want to do . So use those one-on-ones to build that deeper connection and to understand and to learn who it is that you're actually working beside .

Tonya D. Harrison 10:30

Number three maximize preparation . So we are already going to review and analyze and be extremely retrospective and thinking inward . You want to use all of that and prepare for your meetings . And now , when you prepare for your meetings and you show up , you show up in a way that puts you in a position where you're more of an expert , because you've really thought about things and you're prepared for things . So you show up more as an expert . You show up with more confidence , which is always a good thing . So you want to maximize that preparation time .

Tonya D. Harrison 11:13

The third thing you want to do is delegate to empower . Now , as leaders , we should already be delegating , because it's twofold , right . So when you delegate to empower , I am now empowering the person that I'm delegating to shifting responsibility , but I'm also allowing them to take ownership , and then I'm also freeing up time for me to now focus on some strategic priorities so that I can continue to grow and go on the path that I'm set to go on . So you definitely want to delegate to empower . So one of the things I want you to do is and you can pause this recording is take a moment to evaluate what are some of your innate characteristics and think about how you can leverage them within your team , right , and your team could be your peers that you're working with , and then also the people that are reporting to you as well . So and it doesn't have to be a long list , right , you can write down two or three things and then really think about how can I use this to maximize . Think about how can I use this to maximize .

Tonya D. Harrison 12:27

So , for me , one of the things I don't like and it's a lot better now , but in the beginning I really did not like being in large groups or speaking in large groups so what I would do is is that I really focused on my one-on-ones . They became extremely helpful , not just for my team members but for me , but they benefited as well . So I really leaned into the one-on-ones and then what I would do is we had so many different projects that it was really easy to do I would separate my team into smaller groups to work on projects . So when I met with them , I was meeting with small groups of people , which really charged me up instead of drained me . So think about some of the things , right , that you could use , right ? So me being able to build connections and being empathetic and reflective , I was able to leverage , like I said , my one-on-one and small groups was able to leverage , like I said , my one-on-one and small groups . So now what some may think is a hindrance or a limitation now actually becomes this for lack of a better word , because I've said it before a superpower that you could use . So now it's a strength . So take a moment , do that and then come back once you finish doing that . Take a moment , do that and then come back once you finish doing that .

Tonya D. Harrison 13:48

But the other thing I want to leave you with I really want to talk about some practical tactics that you could use for leading high-performing teams , right , because ultimately , we definitely want to be good leaders , but we want to have awesome teams that excel professionally when it comes to , you know , working together and exceeding goals and all of the great things that we want our teams to accomplish . So you really want to make sure that you set clear expectations . Now , most introverts we thrive when it comes to being structured , so structured environments we really excel at . Create clarity for your team by making sure you define what their roles are , you define what their responsibilities are and you define the goals for the person and for the team . So I did a podcast on goal setting that you may want to take a look at or

Setting clear expectations and leveraging written communication

Tonya D. Harrison 14:56

listen to . So , making sure those three things are clear the role , the responsibilities and the goals , their personal goal for them and the one how they can contribute to the overall goal of the team .

Tonya D. Harrison 15:10

The second thing is you want to use written communication . So for me , I was better at writing than I was at speaking . So when it comes to written communication , you can leverage that . If you don't like speaking in large groups or , you know , in front of a large group of people , then if there's an opportunity to send an email or send something through Slack or send a communication through another means . You can leverage that . Now , we got the voice messages . You can leverage that . So think about how I can still communicate and be effective at it . Right , but how can I leverage this ? You know what I mean . So really think about how you can do that . Or one of the things that you could do is , like I said earlier , you can break your team down into smaller groups and communicate on that level . The goal is to you still have to communicate , you still have to get the message through , but what is an effective way to do that ? That doesn't necessarily drain you , but you can use something that you're really good at . So if you're good at written communication , you definitely want to make sure that you are using that when it's appropriate .

Tonya D. Harrison 16:32

Another one is to foster a quiet work environment , right ? So this is a tactic that you really want to use , because many times , we perform best in quieter settings and we don't always have an opportunity to do that settings and we don't always have an opportunity to do that . So one of the things that I would do when I worked in corporate is because I had so many different departments reporting to me , so there was a lot of people . I would have boundaries that I set and I would have focused times that I would block out , so during these times it would be no meetings and I would actually close my door . So if you could block out , you know , two hours during the day , or maybe an hour in the morning , an hour

Creating a supportive and quiet work environment

Tonya D. Harrison 17:21

in the afternoon , whatever it is that you need , where you are getting some quiet time . This is going to allow you to , number one , focus on some things that you really need to focus on , and it's probably going to be your priorities . But the other thing you do is you're recharging your battery , because you don't have people flying in and out of your office or if you're at a cubicle .

Tonya D. Harrison 17:44

This could be a little bit more difficult , Because I remember early on , when I worked at a cubicle , it was a little bit more difficult , but what I did was two things . I , number one , told my team that this is a block of time , that I would not be available . And then the other thing for some offices , you know how you have the spaces where you could reserve a space . You could reserve a space and go in there if it's something that's available For my business leaders . You still want to do this as well , right ? Because you don't want to have meetings throughout the entire day where you don't have focus time . So you still want to set those boundaries and make sure that you have those times blocked out on your calendar . Again , it's going to help you to get more work done , but it's also going to allow you an opportunity to recharge .

Tonya D. Harrison 18:34

The fourth thing that you could do is celebrate the wins thoughtfully . So we definitely want to make sure we are recognizing individual contributions in a way that aligns with team preferences , because everyone does not want to be acknowledged openly in front of a large group . So understand what some of those preferences are and make sure that you are celebrating those wins in a thoughtful way , and this could be in a smaller group . It could be a personalized note I know people don't write notes anymore , but they are still effective or a voice memo where you're sending someone telling them you did a great job on XYZ , whatever the case may be , but find ways to do it , and it's going to be easier to do when you truly know the people because you've built a connection .

Tonya D. Harrison 19:28

So my introverts , or my leaders that are managing introverts . These are some of the things that you can do to make sure that you are leaning into your innate characteristics and being the awesome leader that you were designed to be . Being an introvert does not have to stop you from excelling in leadership or in whatever it is that you want to do . You just really need to understand how to recharge and how to use what it is that you have in order to change it from being what some people may perceive to be a limitation into what you know is a strength . So , in closing , I just want to say that , if you're an introverted leader , embrace your strengths , reflect on the insights and the tactics that I've discussed during this episode , and don't hesitate to reach out .

Tonya D. Harrison 20:23

If you are a corporation and you are looking for some training for your leaders , your leaders of team I primarily work with new leaders , so if you have new leaders that are just now getting into the managerial level and they are now going from individual contributor to now managing team that is my sweet spot or if you are a business leader and you know that you are ready to build a team , then you can reach out to me as well . So thank you for tuning in to this episode of the Operations Toolbox podcast for business leaders . If you found this episode helpful , please give us a review , a five-star review . Leave us a message and share it with a fellow leader that you feel could use this . And remember until next time . Great leaders don't just build teams , we build super teams . Talk to you soon . Bye .