Francesca Gino from Harvard University and her colleagues are classic renegades as they turned a long accepted belief on its head. After decades of research showing that extroverted traits were considered synonymous with good leadership qualities, Gino poked a hole in that finding. Upon looking more closely she found that the research connecting extroversion with ideal leadership was measuring perception rather than actual performance. When you ask people raised in an extrovert-oriented culture to describe their version of good leadership is it any surprise they will describe extroverted qualities?
So what happened when Gino measured actual performance? A whole different story emerged.
Working with a national pizza franchise, Gino and her colleagues looked at how teams performed in terms of the revenue produced. What they found was that introverted leaders were better leaders when employees were proactive and engaged. Extroverted leaders were best with teams that lacked motivation and were less engaged.
Why is this? An introverted leadership style is described as one that is more open and receptive. Extroverted leaders are better able to motivate and encourage those who are less engaged.
It is about a goodness of fit.
So let’s pull out some of the qualities that tend to characterize introverted leadership, thus making us well-suited leaders for engaged teams:
1. Open and receptive. Introverts tend to be open to and build on others ideas.
2. Listen. Introverts tend to listen more in conversations than speak. Therefore we hear and pick up things that others may miss. We are focusing our energy and attention on listening rather than talking. You know the quiet one on your team who doesn’t often share. When she does everyone listens.
3. Silence and solitude is our superpower. Introverts tend to spend time solo to reflect and recharge. As a result we have the space to think things through, consider a range of options and make good decisions.
4. Grounded presence. Introverts often come across as grounded or calm during a storm. This is a necessary quality for a leader. With volatile markets in business, ups and downs that characterize organizational culture, and huge organizational changes, the introverted leader offers a grounded presence that employees seek and benefit from.
5. Deep processing. According to compelling brain research introverts process information deeply, which has a host of positive implications. The main one is that it allows us to make good decisions. And it allows us to be good writers. Introverts are often excellent writers.
6. Comfortable sharing the limelight. Introverted leaders tend to prefer being in the background rather than on center stage. Of course everyone needs to be seen and acknowledged. Yet introverts are typically more than happy to share the stage.
7. Supportive of others. Given qualities 1-6 it is no surprise that employees of introverted leaders tend to feel supported. They are encouraged to share their ideas. The introverted leader considers those ideas and often uses them as appropriate. They listen and offer a stable presence. They share the stage. All of this behavior is supportive of employee’s success and upward advancement.
