Introversion, leadership and success

All these overlooked skills are needed by organisations. With that in mind, it is worth showcasing the benefits of leveraging introversion in our arsenal of leadership skills, rather than focusing on the things an introvert should ‘fix’.

The science

Some traits are more likely to be found in introverts because their brains – as researchers have discovered through fMRI scans and EEGs – have more blood flow (ie more activity) in those parts of the brain that deal with problem-solving, planning and memory.

Introverts also have a different relationship with dopamine than extroverts. They don’t chase external reward or stimulus in the same way, and are guided by the parasympathetic nervous system, which has a calming function. This physiology shapes the quiet leader’s default behaviours and leadership skills; importantly, these can be leveraged by anyone.

Responding, not reacting

The introverted, quiet leader automatically takes a pause to reflect, which means they more easily see a situation in shades of grey and have a heightened ability to spot nuance. This could mean the difference between failure or success of a business decision.

Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky famously showed through their Nobel-prize winning research that decisions we make when we reflect on them are better than those we make instinctively. We now know that an introvert who reflects on a decision is not lacking in decisiveness but reaching a considered and defendable judgment. It is a decision that is more likely to prove sound than one rushed into.

Listening and observing

Introverts make great listeners because their default position is stillness and quiet, not talk. That creates more room to listen and observe, allowing for greater insight into the true feelings of others.

That quickly raised eyebrow when someone made a suggestion earlier in the meeting? That, for the quiet leader, is a potential objection to the proposal presented. The slight hesitation before saying yes when someone confirms they’re in agreement? Here the quiet leader sees a possible future issue if the individual hasn’t been fully brought on board.

This ‘pause’ enables the quiet leader to adjust their arguments to the position of others, making them more persuasive when they do speak. Extroverts, on the other hand, use talking as a way to process their thoughts, so what they share might not be fully formed or accurate, and means they find it harder to be engaged when not talking.

The quiet leader notices details, and might even assume that everyone else does too. But often others don’t. And that opens up invaluable insights about how colleagues and clients really think and feel.

Self-awareness

The quiet leader’s ability to reflect isn’t just directed at the business decisions they face, but also at themselves – the word ‘introversion’ comes from the Latin for ‘to turn within’, after all. They have a natural ability to be self-aware, which is valuable.

Research by global executive search firm Korn Ferry across 486 organisations and 7,000 employees found that financial performance is inextricably linked to the self-awareness of that organisation’s leaders. Organisations with poorer financial performance had leaders with 20% higher levels of blind spots and a 79% higher chance of low self-awareness. And let’s not forget how much happier team members are when their leader has the ability to see the impact of their own actions.

Psychological safety

An introvert is more likely to question themselves a result of being both more reflective and more self-aware. Their own lack of immediate certainty and inviting of input from others when tackling a challenge is often viewed as a weakness and sign of poor leadership. This is a fallacy driven by an in-built tendency all humans have: we yield to those who act in a dominant way.

But certainty and dominant behaviour don’t equate to competence or true confidence. The quiet leader claims certainty only if they have confirmed the facts. It takes confidence to pause in this way, a different kind of confidence from the energy the extrovert has. That doesn’t mean the introvert has less confidence – it just shows up differently.

The quiet leader elevates the team and shows they have trust in their contributions, creating more team cohesion and buy-in. We all lose our ability to think clearly when someone is being aggressive or dominating, so the quiet leader’s behaviour also has benefits for the psychological safety of the team, avoiding the ‘deer in headlights’ feeling.

When quiet leaders open up a dialogue with their teams about the correct course of action, acknowledging they alone don’t have all the answers and showing they genuinely want input from others, they create space for others to share their expertise and help team members feel more safe. It helps develop a high-performance culture where innovation thrives and employee engagement increases.

Behaviour we might have historically thought of as leadership weakness has now been shown to be fundamental to building a stronger organisation. For a leader who wants to become better, whether you think of yourself as an introvert or extrovert, there is clear evidence that the quiet leader’s behavioural habits lead to better performance.