Remember the quiet ones. Ideas are important from everyone on your team.

I think a lot but I don’t say much.
Anne Frank

I am an introvert.  Some people would question this because I’m not shy and I love helping people.  I am quiet most of the time as well as reserved about how I speak and act.   This does not mean that I’m shy.

On the other hand, extroverts connect differently because they thrive on attention and are happy around large groups of people.  They actually seem to re-charge with noise and lots of people energy.  For introverts, they re-charge with quiet and reflective time alone.

Introverts and extroverts exist on every team.  Estimates say that it’s split about half-half.  This would mean as a leader that 50% of your team may be introverts – 50% of your team may be the quiet ones.

Neuroscience shows that it is important for trust and performance that your team is in a toward state neuro-chemically so that fear which creates self-doubt and mistakes is kept to a minimum.

How do you create a toward state for everyone at work that provides exceptional performance and innovation for your organisation while harnessing the best traits of both introverts and extroverts?

As a simple example of the issue, imagine if for team building, a leader says that everyone should eat lunch together.

Introverts prefer one-on-one, deep conversations whereas extroverts appear to be more comfortable with group conversations.  It could well end up that the introverts on the group only talk to one or two at the lunch table.  This might come across as them being disengaged or not “into it”.  You might think as a leader that they are not a team player.  Whereas the extrovert makes a point of moving around the table and engaging with lots of people.

I know for me that I cannot stay for long periods at group functions where there is a lot of noise and in-depth one-on-one conversations are challenging to make.  I become bored and I figure it would be better for me to go home and re-charge through quiet and reflection.

Some suggestions to keep in mind as a leader with the introvert vs extrovert group dynamic.

• Make some team building events optional and make sure everyone is comfortable at these events.
• For group projects, organise some time where you pair people in groups of one or two to work on the project and then bring it back to the larger group.
• Spend more time with the quiet ones on the team getting to know them better to make them comfortable with the group dynamic.
• In group meetings, understand that the quiet ones may be challenged to share ideas or may need more time to process and provide ideas and insights to the team.
• Introverts might be more resistant to change because they need to reflect before they decide, so it may mean spending extra time explaining the benefits of change for these people.
• Introverts may be more easily distracted in an open office design so have quiet areas inside your office, allow team members to work from home and have a “quiet day” at your office.
• In a group meeting, if you observe that a quiet person is trying to voice an idea and is patiently waiting for the right time, kindly and respectively include them in the discussion.

Diversity and inclusion create the best ideas for organisations to survive.  It’s important to consider the quiet ones too.  Their gems of wisdom might be just what you need as a leader.

Remember all of this and much, much more is provided in my Women’s Empowerment and Leadership Program.  The next program is on 13th and 14th September, 2018.