December 17, 2024 • 21 mins
Introversion in leadership is a powerful yet underestimated topic, which we explore in today’s episode. Join me as we uncover the myths surrounding introverted leaders and highlight their unique strengths, offering practical strategies for turning perceived limitations into superpowers. Whether you're an introverted leader or managing introverted team members, this episode will provide invaluable insights to help you excel and inspire your team.
In this episode, we explore:
(00:00) Debunking common myths about introverted leaders.
(03:40) Surprising stats about introverts in leadership.
(06:34) Key characteristics of introverted leaders and how they shine.
(09:29) Practical strategies for harnessing introvert superpowers.
(14:56) Setting clear expectations and leveraging written communication.
(17:21) Creating a supportive and quiet work environment.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tonya D. Harrison (00:11):
Hello and welcome to another episode of
Operations Toolbox podcast,where we talk about skill
strategies and systems to helpyou build a highing team.
I'm your host, tonya D Harrison, and today I want to shine a
spotlight on my introvertedleaders.
(00:31):
So, being an introvert myself,I understand some of the
challenges they're to face.
I understand some of thestigmas that are around it and
also some of the myths, but at acertain point I learned how to
lean in some of the innateskills that I had to help me be
even more successful withbuilding a team, and that is
(00:54):
what I want to share with youtoday.
So, whether you are anintroverted leader yourself or
you are managing introverts,this podcast is really gonna
give you some nuggets and sometools that you could take with
you to help you be even moresuccessful in your leadership
journey.
So, first things first, I wannabust some of the myths.
(01:16):
So these are some things that Ihave heard during my journey,
and they're some of the thingsthat at one point, I even
thought were true, but they'rereally not true.
The first myth that I reallywant to talk about is the myth
that introverts are shy.
Now, are there some shyintroverts?
(01:38):
Absolutely, there's some shyextroverts.
There's some shy ambiverts.
There's just shy people withinthe world.
This is not synonymous with anintrovert.
The truth is it is not the same, and when we're talking about
introverts or introversion,we're really talking about where
(02:00):
we get our energy from.
So for most introverts, werecharge by spending time alone
or in one-on-ones or smallgroups, whereas extroverts tend
to thrive in social and highenergy environments.
(02:21):
That's just not the same forintroverts.
So no, we're not necessarilyshy because we're an introvert.
The second myth is introvertscan't lead effectively.
Now, some of this is what I'llsay is old school, but even
today, you will hear people saythat, oh, I don't know if this
(02:45):
person will be able to make agreat leader because they don't
speak up in meetings and thingslike that, and that was
something that was a question ofme early on.
So that is a myth.
We can make great leaders.
In fact, a research that wasdone by Harvard Business Review
(03:07):
showed that introverted leadersoften excel in certain
environments and with certaintypes of teams.
So it's not a blanket statementthat we can't lead.
That is personal, right.
There are some leaders that arebetter than others or lead
better than others, or moreskilled at leading better than
(03:29):
others, but it's not specific tobeing an introvert or not.
The third myth is introvertslack communication skills.
Well, yeah, that's definitelynot the case.
In fact, introverts are oftenexceptional communicators
because they really take thetime to think before they
(03:50):
respond and before they speak.
So when they engage, it's moreon a deeper level.
So, yeah, so I want to talkabout some not necessarily some
surprising stats, but somethings that may surprise you
when we're talking aboutintroverts.
The first thing is there is astat, and that stat is that 40%
(04:12):
of leaders identify asintroverts.
Now, that may be more or lessthan what you thought, but some
of your favorite leaders mayactually be introverts and they
have learned how to lean intotheir innate abilities and
characteristics in order tobecome powerhouses, and some of
(04:33):
those powerhouses and I'm goingto say some names that you
probably know are number oneBill Gates.
He's known for his analyticaland strategic thinking, and this
is someone who revolutionizedtechnology.
Another introvert is WarrenBuffett.
He is known for being astrategic thinker who values
(04:56):
deep analysis over impulsivedecisions, which has made him
the billionaire that he is.
Another one this quiet stormhere.
Rosa Parks was known to be anintrovert.
She had a quiet nature but aquiet strength, and she ignited
(05:17):
a whole movement that impactedgenerations.
And then, lastly, I'd like toend it with Barack Obama.
So we're talking about the myththat introverts could really
not be great communicators.
Well, barack Obama was knownfor, or is known for, not only
his calm demeanor, but he's alsoknown for his speeches and his
(05:42):
communication, and he's known tobe an introverted leader.
So these are just some leadersthat prove that introversion is
not a limitation.
In fact, it's a strength.
So, instead of trying to changewho you are, you really want to
lean into your strengths andshow up as the powerhouse you
(06:05):
were meant to be.
So let's talk about what some ofthe characteristics of being an
introverted leader is.
The first thing is mostintroverts are active listeners.
We excel when it comes tolistening and connecting and
being highly empathetic.
(06:25):
That is a superpower when we'retalking about building
high-performing teams.
But what else?
All right.
Number two strategic thinking.
Remember, I mentioned WarrenBuffett you know what I mean and
him being a strategic thinker.
So, with introverts, they oftenprefer to reflect and think
(06:49):
before making decisions.
So a lot of times, thedecisions are well thought out,
because they have thought abouta lot of things and they've
analyzed it and they'vereflected on a lot of different
things.
Another one is calm underpressure.
Now, of course, this isn't allintroverts, right, but one of
(07:10):
the characteristics is beingcalm, so most introverts have a
composed demeanor and can bringstability in teams during
challenging times, which we know.
This is super important, right?
So I know, in my career, endedup being with some companies
that went through some mergersand acquisitions, and that's
(07:32):
always an extremely, extremelytough time.
So it was really important forme to remain calm, right,
because I didn't want to get allriled up, and then now my team
is all riled up, so I had topresent myself in a way and I
found it really easy to be calmduring those times, which was
extremely helpful for my teamand then, of course, being a
(07:55):
part of leadership, it washelpful as well.
Another characteristic isempathy and emotional
intelligence.
So many introverts have a highlevel of empathy, which I
mentioned before, and it makesbuilding those connections
easier and also it puts you in aposition where people can
(08:15):
easily trust you, and we want tomake 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 thecharacteristics, but how do you
take those innatecharacteristics and really turn
them into superpowers, rightthat you could use in your day
(08:39):
to day with your day to day team?
Well, one of the things is andI'm going to go over four of
them you can leverage yourlistening skills and you could
do this during your teammeetings by focusing on
understanding what is being saidand allowing your team to speak
first and then you respond.
(08:59):
So now, once when you actuallycontribute, your thoughts are
going to be extremely insightfuland they're going to consider
your audience or your team, andthey're going to carry more
weight.
And not only that, people startto feel heard, which is
extremely important.
Another one is build deepconnections.
(09:21):
So you could use yourone-on-ones and if you're not
doing one-on-ones, youdefinitely want to make sure you
start to do those but you coulduse your one-on-one meetings to
mentor your team members and toalso to understand what their
motivations are, and this isgoing to help you drive
performance in two ways.
Number one now you know howthey fit within the team, right,
(09:45):
based on their motivations.
Is it only about theirmotivations?
No, but we want to take thosethings into consideration.
But now you get a very goodunderstanding of how they fit
within the team and how you canleverage some of those
motivations.
And then also you understandwhat it is that they want for
(10:06):
themselves and now you can helpthem on their journey.
That's a part of being a leader, right?
It's not only about what we canget from them.
It's about how do I help youbecome who it is that you want
to become and do some of thethings that you want to do.
So use those one-on-ones tobuild that deeper connection and
to understand and to learn whoit is that you're actually
(10:29):
working beside.
Number three maximizepreparation.
So we are already going toreview and analyze and be
extremely retrospective andthinking inward.
You want to use all of that andprepare for your meetings.
And now, when you prepare foryour meetings and you show up,
(10:53):
you show up in a way that putsyou in a position where you're
more of an expert, becauseyou've really thought about
things and you're prepared forthings.
So you show up more as anexpert.
You show up with moreconfidence, which is always a
good thing.
So you want to maximize thatpreparation time.
The third thing you want to dois delegate to empower.
(11:16):
Now, as leaders, we shouldalready be delegating, because
it's twofold, right.
So when you delegate to empower, I am now empowering the person
that I'm delegating to shiftingresponsibility, but I'm also
allowing them to take ownership,and then I'm also freeing up
(11:36):
time for me to now focus on somestrategic priorities so that I
can continue to grow and go onthe path that I'm set to go on.
So you definitely want todelegate to empower.
So one of the things I want youto do is and you can pause this
recording is take a moment toevaluate what are some of your
(12:00):
innate characteristics and thinkabout how you can leverage them
within your team, right, andyour team could be your peers
that you're working with, andthen also the people that are
reporting to you as well.
So and it doesn't have to be along list, right, you can write
down two or three things andthen really think about how can
(12:24):
I use this to maximize.
Think about how can I use thisto maximize.
So, for me, one of the things Idon't like and it's a lot better
now, but in the beginning Ireally did not like being in
large groups or speaking inlarge groups so what I would do
is is that I really focused onmy one-on-ones.
(12:45):
They became extremely helpful,not just for my team members but
for me, but they benefited aswell.
So I really leaned into theone-on-ones and then what I
would do is we had so manydifferent projects that it was
really easy to do I wouldseparate my team into smaller
groups to work on projects.
(13:05):
So when I met with them, I wasmeeting with small groups of
people, which really charged meup instead of drained me.
So think about some of thethings, right, that you could
use, right?
So me being able to buildconnections and being empathetic
and reflective, I was able toleverage, like I said, my
one-on-one and small groups wasable to leverage, like I said,
my one-on-one and small groups.
(13:26):
So now what some may think is ahindrance or a limitation now
actually becomes this for lackof a better word, because I've
said it before a superpower thatyou could use.
So now it's a strength.
So take a moment, do that andthen come back once you finish
doing that.
Take a moment, do that and thencome back once you finish doing
(13:47):
that.
But the other thing I want toleave you with I really want to
talk about some practicaltactics that you could use for
leading high-performing teams,right, because ultimately, we
definitely want to be goodleaders, but we want to have
awesome teams that excelprofessionally when it comes to,
(14:08):
you know, working together andexceeding goals and all of the
great things that we want ourteams to accomplish.
So you really want to make surethat you set clear expectations
.
Now, most introverts we thrivewhen it comes to being
structured, so structuredenvironments we really excel at.
(14:32):
Create clarity for your team bymaking sure you define what
their roles are, you define whattheir responsibilities are and
you define the goals for theperson and for the team.
So I did a podcast on goalsetting that you may want to
(14:54):
take a look at or listen to.
So, making sure those threethings are clear the role, the
responsibilities and the goals,their personal goal for them and
the one how they can contributeto the overall goal of the team
.
The second thing is you want touse written communication.
So for me, I was better atwriting than I was at speaking.
(15:22):
So when it comes to writtencommunication, you can leverage
that.
If you don't like speaking inlarge groups or, you know, in
front of a large group of people, then if there's an opportunity
to send an email or sendsomething through Slack or send
a communication through anothermeans.
(15:44):
You can leverage that.
Now, we got the voice messages.
You can leverage that.
So think about how I can stillcommunicate and be effective at
it.
Right, but how can I leveragethis?
You know what I mean.
So really think about how youcan do that.
Or one of the things that youcould do is, like I said earlier
(16:06):
, you can break your team downinto smaller groups and
communicate on that level.
The goal is to you still haveto communicate, you still have
to get the message through, butwhat is an effective way to do
that?
That doesn't necessarily drainyou, but you can use something
that you're really good at.
So if you're good at writtencommunication, you definitely
(16:28):
want to make sure that you areusing that when it's appropriate
.
Another one is to foster a quietwork environment, right?
So this is a tactic that youreally want to use, because many
times, we perform best inquieter settings and we don't
(16:48):
always have an opportunity to dothat settings and we don't
always have an opportunity to dothat.
So one of the things that Iwould do when I worked in
corporate is because I had somany different departments
reporting to me, so there was alot of people.
I would have boundaries that Iset and I would have focused
times that I would block out, soduring these times it would be
(17:11):
no meetings and I would actuallyclose my door.
So if you could block out, youknow, two hours during the day,
or maybe an hour in the morning,an hour 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
(17:31):
that you really need to focuson, and it's probably going to
be your priorities.
But the other thing you do isyou're recharging your battery,
because you don't have peopleflying in and out of your office
or if you're at a cubicle.
This could be a little bit moredifficult, Because I remember
early on, when I worked at acubicle, it was a little bit
more difficult, but what I didwas two things.
(17:53):
I, number one, told my teamthat this is a block of time,
that I would not be available.
And then the other thing forsome offices, you know how you
have the spaces where you couldreserve a space.
You could reserve a space andgo in there if it's something
that's available For my businessleaders.
You still want to do this aswell, right?
Because you don't want to havemeetings throughout the entire
(18:16):
day where you don't have focustime.
So you still want to set thoseboundaries and make sure that
you have those times blocked outon your calendar.
Again, it's going to help youto get more work done, but it's
also going to allow you anopportunity to recharge.
The fourth thing that you coulddo is celebrate the wins
(18:38):
thoughtfully.
So we definitely want to makesure we are recognizing
individual contributions in away that aligns with team
preferences, because everyonedoes not want to be acknowledged
openly in front of a largegroup.
So understand what some ofthose preferences are and make
(18:59):
sure that you are celebratingthose wins in a thoughtful way,
and this could be in a smallergroup.
It could be a personalized noteI know people don't write notes
anymore, but they are stilleffective or a voice memo where
you're sending someone tellingthem you did a great job on XYZ,
whatever the case may be, butfind ways to do it, and it's
(19:22):
going to be easier to do whenyou truly know the people
because you've built aconnection.
So my introverts, or my leadersthat are managing introverts.
These are some of the thingsthat you can do to make sure
that you are leaning into yourinnate characteristics and being
(19:42):
the awesome leader that youwere designed to be.
Being an introvert does nothave to stop you from excelling
in leadership or in whatever itis that you want to do.
You just really need tounderstand how to recharge and
how to use what it is that youhave in order to change it from
being what some people mayperceive to be a limitation into
(20:05):
what you know is a strength.
So, in closing, I just want tosay that, if you're an
introverted leader, embrace yourstrengths, reflect on the
insights and the tactics thatI've discussed during this
episode, and don't hesitate toreach out.
If you are a corporation and youare looking for some training
(20:28):
for your leaders, your leadersof team I primarily work with
new leaders, so if you have newleaders that are just now
getting into the manageriallevel and they are now going
from individual contributor tonow managing team that is my
(20:51):
sweet spot or if you are abusiness leader and you know
that you are ready to build ateam, then you can reach out to
me as well.
So thank you for tuning in tothis episode of the Operations
Toolbox podcast for businessleaders.
If you found this episodehelpful, please give us a review
(21:12):
, a five-star review.
Leave us a message and share itwith a fellow leader that you
feel could use this.
And remember until next time.
Great leaders don't just buildteams, we build super teams.
Talk to you soon.
Bye.
Hello and welcome to another episode of
Operations Toolbox podcast,where we talk about skill
strategies and systems to helpyou build a highing team.
I'm your host, tonya D Harrison, and today I want to shine a
spotlight on my introvertedleaders.
(00:31):
So, being an introvert myself,I understand some of the
challenges they're to face.
I understand some of thestigmas that are around it and
also some of the myths, but at acertain point I learned how to
lean in some of the innateskills that I had to help me be
even more successful withbuilding a team, and that is
(00:54):
what I want to share with youtoday.
So, whether you are anintroverted leader yourself or
you are managing introverts,this podcast is really gonna
give you some nuggets and sometools that you could take with
you to help you be even moresuccessful in your leadership
journey.
So, first things first, I wannabust some of the myths.
(01:16):
So these are some things that Ihave heard during my journey,
and they're some of the thingsthat at one point, I even
thought were true, but they'rereally not true.
The first myth that I reallywant to talk about is the myth
that introverts are shy.
Now, are there some shyintroverts?
(01:38):
Absolutely, there's some shyextroverts.
There's some shy ambiverts.
There's just shy people withinthe world.
This is not synonymous with anintrovert.
The truth is it is not the same, and when we're talking about
introverts or introversion,we're really talking about where
(02:00):
we get our energy from.
So for most introverts, werecharge by spending time alone
or in one-on-ones or smallgroups, whereas extroverts tend
to thrive in social and highenergy environments.
(02:21):
That's just not the same forintroverts.
So no, we're not necessarilyshy because we're an introvert.
The second myth is introvertscan't lead effectively.
Now, some of this is what I'llsay is old school, but even
today, you will hear people saythat, oh, I don't know if this
(02:45):
person will be able to make agreat leader because they don't
speak up in meetings and thingslike that, and that was
something that was a question ofme early on.
So that is a myth.
We can make great leaders.
In fact, a research that wasdone by Harvard Business Review
(03:07):
showed that introverted leadersoften excel in certain
environments and with certaintypes of teams.
So it's not a blanket statementthat we can't lead.
That is personal, right.
There are some leaders that arebetter than others or lead
better than others, or moreskilled at leading better than
(03:29):
others, but it's not specific tobeing an introvert or not.
The third myth is introvertslack communication skills.
Well, yeah, that's definitelynot the case.
In fact, introverts are oftenexceptional communicators
because they really take thetime to think before they
(03:50):
respond and before they speak.
So when they engage, it's moreon a deeper level.
So, yeah, so I want to talkabout some not necessarily some
surprising stats, but somethings that may surprise you
when we're talking aboutintroverts.
The first thing is there is astat, and that stat is that 40%
(04:12):
of leaders identify asintroverts.
Now, that may be more or lessthan what you thought, but some
of your favorite leaders mayactually be introverts and they
have learned how to lean intotheir innate abilities and
characteristics in order tobecome powerhouses, and some of
(04:33):
those powerhouses and I'm goingto say some names that you
probably know are number oneBill Gates.
He's known for his analyticaland strategic thinking, and this
is someone who revolutionizedtechnology.
Another introvert is WarrenBuffett.
He is known for being astrategic thinker who values
(04:56):
deep analysis over impulsivedecisions, which has made him
the billionaire that he is.
Another one this quiet stormhere.
Rosa Parks was known to be anintrovert.
She had a quiet nature but aquiet strength, and she ignited
(05:17):
a whole movement that impactedgenerations.
And then, lastly, I'd like toend it with Barack Obama.
So we're talking about the myththat introverts could really
not be great communicators.
Well, barack Obama was knownfor, or is known for, not only
his calm demeanor, but he's alsoknown for his speeches and his
(05:42):
communication, and he's known tobe an introverted leader.
So these are just some leadersthat prove that introversion is
not a limitation.
In fact, it's a strength.
So, instead of trying to changewho you are, you really want to
lean into your strengths andshow up as the powerhouse you
(06:05):
were meant to be.
So let's talk about what some ofthe characteristics of being an
introverted leader is.
The first thing is mostintroverts are active listeners.
We excel when it comes tolistening and connecting and
being highly empathetic.
(06:25):
That is a superpower when we'retalking about building
high-performing teams.
But what else?
All right.
Number two strategic thinking.
Remember, I mentioned WarrenBuffett you know what I mean and
him being a strategic thinker.
So, with introverts, they oftenprefer to reflect and think
(06:49):
before making decisions.
So a lot of times, thedecisions are well thought out,
because they have thought abouta lot of things and they've
analyzed it and they'vereflected on a lot of different
things.
Another one is calm underpressure.
Now, of course, this isn't allintroverts, right, but one of
(07:10):
the characteristics is beingcalm, so most introverts have a
composed demeanor and can bringstability in teams during
challenging times, which we know.
This is super important, right?
So I know, in my career, endedup being with some companies
that went through some mergersand acquisitions, and that's
(07:32):
always an extremely, extremelytough time.
So it was really important forme to remain calm, right,
because I didn't want to get allriled up, and then now my team
is all riled up, so I had topresent myself in a way and I
found it really easy to be calmduring those times, which was
extremely helpful for my teamand then, of course, being a
(07:55):
part of leadership, it washelpful as well.
Another characteristic isempathy and emotional
intelligence.
So many introverts have a highlevel of empathy, which I
mentioned before, and it makesbuilding those connections
easier and also it puts you in aposition where people can
(08:15):
easily trust you, and we want tomake 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 thecharacteristics, but how do you
take those innatecharacteristics and really turn
them into superpowers, rightthat you could use in your day
(08:39):
to day with your day to day team?
Well, one of the things is andI'm going to go over four of
them you can leverage yourlistening skills and you could
do this during your teammeetings by focusing on
understanding what is being saidand allowing your team to speak
first and then you respond.
(08:59):
So now, once when you actuallycontribute, your thoughts are
going to be extremely insightfuland they're going to consider
your audience or your team, andthey're going to carry more
weight.
And not only that, people startto feel heard, which is
extremely important.
Another one is build deepconnections.
(09:21):
So you could use yourone-on-ones and if you're not
doing one-on-ones, youdefinitely want to make sure you
start to do those but you coulduse your one-on-one meetings to
mentor your team members and toalso to understand what their
motivations are, and this isgoing to help you drive
performance in two ways.
Number one now you know howthey fit within the team, right,
(09:45):
based on their motivations.
Is it only about theirmotivations?
No, but we want to take thosethings into consideration.
But now you get a very goodunderstanding of how they fit
within the team and how you canleverage some of those
motivations.
And then also you understandwhat it is that they want for
(10:06):
themselves and now you can helpthem on their journey.
That's a part of being a leader, right?
It's not only about what we canget from them.
It's about how do I help youbecome who it is that you want
to become and do some of thethings that you want to do.
So use those one-on-ones tobuild that deeper connection and
to understand and to learn whoit is that you're actually
(10:29):
working beside.
Number three maximizepreparation.
So we are already going toreview and analyze and be
extremely retrospective andthinking inward.
You want to use all of that andprepare for your meetings.
And now, when you prepare foryour meetings and you show up,
(10:53):
you show up in a way that putsyou in a position where you're
more of an expert, becauseyou've really thought about
things and you're prepared forthings.
So you show up more as anexpert.
You show up with moreconfidence, which is always a
good thing.
So you want to maximize thatpreparation time.
The third thing you want to dois delegate to empower.
(11:16):
Now, as leaders, we shouldalready be delegating, because
it's twofold, right.
So when you delegate to empower, I am now empowering the person
that I'm delegating to shiftingresponsibility, but I'm also
allowing them to take ownership,and then I'm also freeing up
(11:36):
time for me to now focus on somestrategic priorities so that I
can continue to grow and go onthe path that I'm set to go on.
So you definitely want todelegate to empower.
So one of the things I want youto do is and you can pause this
recording is take a moment toevaluate what are some of your
(12:00):
innate characteristics and thinkabout how you can leverage them
within your team, right, andyour team could be your peers
that you're working with, andthen also the people that are
reporting to you as well.
So and it doesn't have to be along list, right, you can write
down two or three things andthen really think about how can
(12:24):
I use this to maximize.
Think about how can I use thisto maximize.
So, for me, one of the things Idon't like and it's a lot better
now, but in the beginning Ireally did not like being in
large groups or speaking inlarge groups so what I would do
is is that I really focused onmy one-on-ones.
(12:45):
They became extremely helpful,not just for my team members but
for me, but they benefited aswell.
So I really leaned into theone-on-ones and then what I
would do is we had so manydifferent projects that it was
really easy to do I wouldseparate my team into smaller
groups to work on projects.
(13:05):
So when I met with them, I wasmeeting with small groups of
people, which really charged meup instead of drained me.
So think about some of thethings, right, that you could
use, right?
So me being able to buildconnections and being empathetic
and reflective, I was able toleverage, like I said, my
one-on-one and small groups wasable to leverage, like I said,
my one-on-one and small groups.
(13:26):
So now what some may think is ahindrance or a limitation now
actually becomes this for lackof a better word, because I've
said it before a superpower thatyou could use.
So now it's a strength.
So take a moment, do that andthen come back once you finish
doing that.
Take a moment, do that and thencome back once you finish doing
(13:47):
that.
But the other thing I want toleave you with I really want to
talk about some practicaltactics that you could use for
leading high-performing teams,right, because ultimately, we
definitely want to be goodleaders, but we want to have
awesome teams that excelprofessionally when it comes to,
(14:08):
you know, working together andexceeding goals and all of the
great things that we want ourteams to accomplish.
So you really want to make surethat you set clear expectations
.
Now, most introverts we thrivewhen it comes to being
structured, so structuredenvironments we really excel at.
(14:32):
Create clarity for your team bymaking sure you define what
their roles are, you define whattheir responsibilities are and
you define the goals for theperson and for the team.
So I did a podcast on goalsetting that you may want to
(14:54):
take a look at or listen to.
So, making sure those threethings are clear the role, the
responsibilities and the goals,their personal goal for them and
the one how they can contributeto the overall goal of the team
.
The second thing is you want touse written communication.
So for me, I was better atwriting than I was at speaking.
(15:22):
So when it comes to writtencommunication, you can leverage
that.
If you don't like speaking inlarge groups or, you know, in
front of a large group of people, then if there's an opportunity
to send an email or sendsomething through Slack or send
a communication through anothermeans.
(15:44):
You can leverage that.
Now, we got the voice messages.
You can leverage that.
So think about how I can stillcommunicate and be effective at
it.
Right, but how can I leveragethis?
You know what I mean.
So really think about how youcan do that.
Or one of the things that youcould do is, like I said earlier
(16:06):
, you can break your team downinto smaller groups and
communicate on that level.
The goal is to you still haveto communicate, you still have
to get the message through, butwhat is an effective way to do
that?
That doesn't necessarily drainyou, but you can use something
that you're really good at.
So if you're good at writtencommunication, you definitely
(16:28):
want to make sure that you areusing that when it's appropriate
.
Another one is to foster a quietwork environment, right?
So this is a tactic that youreally want to use, because many
times, we perform best inquieter settings and we don't
(16:48):
always have an opportunity to dothat settings and we don't
always have an opportunity to dothat.
So one of the things that Iwould do when I worked in
corporate is because I had somany different departments
reporting to me, so there was alot of people.
I would have boundaries that Iset and I would have focused
times that I would block out, soduring these times it would be
(17:11):
no meetings and I would actuallyclose my door.
So if you could block out, youknow, two hours during the day,
or maybe an hour in the morning,an hour 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
(17:31):
that you really need to focuson, and it's probably going to
be your priorities.
But the other thing you do isyou're recharging your battery,
because you don't have peopleflying in and out of your office
or if you're at a cubicle.
This could be a little bit moredifficult, Because I remember
early on, when I worked at acubicle, it was a little bit
more difficult, but what I didwas two things.
(17:53):
I, number one, told my teamthat this is a block of time,
that I would not be available.
And then the other thing forsome offices, you know how you
have the spaces where you couldreserve a space.
You could reserve a space andgo in there if it's something
that's available For my businessleaders.
You still want to do this aswell, right?
Because you don't want to havemeetings throughout the entire
(18:16):
day where you don't have focustime.
So you still want to set thoseboundaries and make sure that
you have those times blocked outon your calendar.
Again, it's going to help youto get more work done, but it's
also going to allow you anopportunity to recharge.
The fourth thing that you coulddo is celebrate the wins
(18:38):
thoughtfully.
So we definitely want to makesure we are recognizing
individual contributions in away that aligns with team
preferences, because everyonedoes not want to be acknowledged
openly in front of a largegroup.
So understand what some ofthose preferences are and make
(18:59):
sure that you are celebratingthose wins in a thoughtful way,
and this could be in a smallergroup.
It could be a personalized noteI know people don't write notes
anymore, but they are stilleffective or a voice memo where
you're sending someone tellingthem you did a great job on XYZ,
whatever the case may be, butfind ways to do it, and it's
(19:22):
going to be easier to do whenyou truly know the people
because you've built aconnection.
So my introverts, or my leadersthat are managing introverts.
These are some of the thingsthat you can do to make sure
that you are leaning into yourinnate characteristics and being
(19:42):
the awesome leader that youwere designed to be.
Being an introvert does nothave to stop you from excelling
in leadership or in whatever itis that you want to do.
You just really need tounderstand how to recharge and
how to use what it is that youhave in order to change it from
being what some people mayperceive to be a limitation into
(20:05):
what you know is a strength.
So, in closing, I just want tosay that, if you're an
introverted leader, embrace yourstrengths, reflect on the
insights and the tactics thatI've discussed during this
episode, and don't hesitate toreach out.
If you are a corporation and youare looking for some training
(20:28):
for your leaders, your leadersof team I primarily work with
new leaders, so if you have newleaders that are just now
getting into the manageriallevel and they are now going
from individual contributor tonow managing team that is my
(20:51):
sweet spot or if you are abusiness leader and you know
that you are ready to build ateam, then you can reach out to
me as well.
So thank you for tuning in tothis episode of the Operations
Toolbox podcast for businessleaders.
If you found this episodehelpful, please give us a review
(21:12):
, a five-star review.
Leave us a message and share itwith a fellow leader that you
feel could use this.
And remember until next time.
Great leaders don't just buildteams, we build super teams.
Talk to you soon.
Bye.
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