Actors like Streep prepare extensively to take us into the world of that character. Likewise, introverts often emphasize how much they prepare for meetings, calls, presentations, etc. so that they perform at their best ( a side note: Meryl Streep is an introvert like many actors).  Yet, despite careful preparation, you can’t always anticipate what is thrown at you.  Handling the moment sometimes trumps preparation.

In this clip of her recent  Golden Globes Acceptance Speech  a great actress is a normal human being. In the blush of winning and kissing her way up to the stage, Ms. Streep forgot her glasses. So how did she handle it? She was refreshingly real (they bleeped out the “Oh ____” ), cracked some jokes and complimented the other nominees (some even more than once:)

I loved her rambling, laughing performance where she played the character she knows best: herself.  Perhaps an extra glass of wine helped. Any scripted thank you she might have had was gone and there she was, like the rest of us, dealing with an “Oh ___” moment.  I will take that real performance over a carefully rehearsed acceptance speech any day.

I received an email from Nancy Crosby, a Group Manager at the IRS in Lansing Michigan who had attended my leadership program several years ago. Nancy told me about a piece in the Washington Post that “comments on inaccurate characterization and unfair stereotyping of introverts in government. It references a book by Steven L. Katz, author of Lion Taming, Working Successfully with Leaders, Bosses, and other Tough Customers.Apparently Mr. Katz argues the problem is that government attracts too many introverts, perpetuating “government of loners” who don’t want to rock the boat. In order to foster innovation, he recommends that agencies recruit extroverted personalities.”

The Washington Post writer, Alicia Mazzara, asked several government workers about their response to the question about why we don’t have more innovation in government. Their rebuttals are right on. We are not misanthropes, they said, and the lack of innovation is due more to a culture that discourages it than dimensions of introversion or extroversion. Carol Davison, a human resource specialist at the Department of Commerce said, “There is nothing wrong with us. We aren’t afraid of people, lacking in social skills, timid, super sensitive, or need to feel safe. We are introverts because we lose energy to social interactions, so we limit it.”

John Kosar, Client Manager, CCCi

Last week I had the pleasure of working with a fave introverted leader, John Kosar.   Presentation skills coach Kelly Vandever  who introduced us, once called him the “epitome of an introverted leader.”

John is a Client Manager with IT staffing firm, CCCi and his latest assignment is at the  The Southern Company, one of America’s largest generators of electricity.  He  has organized a number of well attended programs with technology leaders. and is committed to working with IT pros to help them succeed. On Halloween  his company hosted an appreciation luncheon for the teams of IT pros at the Southern Company and gifted each attendee with a copy of  The Introverted Leader. I spoke with them about why introverts are leaders, the 4 steps introverted leaders take to succeed and what we miss when we don’t tap into their strengths.

John recruits and retains all types of IT folks and knows the importance of developing strong communication and people skills. Check out these short video clips

John on why getting out from behind the computer is important.

John on how getting involved in user groups helps you be a better professional. 

I look forward to many more collaborations with introverted leaders like John Kosar who truly walk their talk.

Famous Introverted Leaders

1. Head of the most well-known soup company in the world.
2. A female CEO whose company helps women looks their best.
3. A global philanthropist who founded a company located in Redmond, Washington.
4. His social media site has more than 750 million users.
5. The French female scientist who discovered radium.
6. The film director has a reputation for innovative special effects.
7. The 16^thU.S. president of the U.S.
8. The American humorist who wrote two bestsellers about boys getting into mischief.
9. An Indian leader who practiced non-violent protest.
10. A Swiss psychoanalyst whose personality theory inspired the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

Answers:

1. Doug Conant

2. Andrea Jung

3. Bill Gates

4. Mark Zuckerberg

5. Marie Curie

6. Steven Spielberg

7. Abraham Lincoln

8. Mark Twain

9. Mahatma Gandhi

10. Carl Jung

With social media, it is now easier for journalists to find you. Nettie Hartsock, social media strategist, pointed out that over 75% of people writing stories are freelancers who are going to Google to find their sources. How can you be one of the “go to” sources for this pool of reporters?

In my opinion, it is all about helping them out in four key ways.

1)    Pitch them a different angle. When I started my first consulting business in Cincinnati in 1986 I would call up local print reporters with new angles on workplace stories. I had carved out a niche in coaching dual career couples and because women in the workplace were hot, this topic drew them. Dual career couples were a new, growing phenomenon. I began calling them and pitching them other ideas. They seemed to always be looking for that different, timely and counterintuitive take…and still are.

2)    Thank them. This also goes for the times they don’t interview you but ask for some information. You would (or perhaps would not) be surprised to learn that this is an unusual act. Journalists are often evaluated by the number of comments written about their pieces. Sending out their articles to your social networks is another way to express your gratitude and raise their visibility.

3)    Be Generous. Contact journalists when you don’t need something. Send them websites, blog entries and events that might interest them. Also recommend your colleagues and peers as sources. Reporters will be grateful to find terrific resources and they will most assuredly circle back to you on future stories.

4)    Listen well. Over 90% of the 50 journalists I have spoken with about my book, The Introverted Leader: Building On Your Quiet Strength (Berrett-Koehler, 2009) have been introverted. It is a common personality preference for reporters who are self-reflective, inner focused and spend much of their day in the solitary pursuits of research and writing. When I listen to them, they openly share their stories and personal experiences. Most often I have felt  that we were more like colleagues engaged in a stimulating dialogue than reporter and interviewee. The best stories seem to emerge after these discussions.
It is about helping reporters to do their work. The wins are waiting for you and your business.

Our hosts were kind enough to gather some of the key points from the program. Let me pass them on to you:

I had another stimulating dialogue with innovator and author Laura Goodrich on Future Work Radio Our conversation addressed how we  can make meaningful connections in the global workplace.

Some of the highlights? Do your research by learning to pronounce names. Laura interviews her clients ahead of gigs and asks them to pronounce everyone’s name. She records this and listens on the plane ride over. Also understand the importance of attending after hour events which lead to business.  Prepare some conversation starters and questions to reduce your stress in these social situations.

And one other observation. My last trip was to Spain and the Netherlands. I noticed most people “unplugged” from their devices (unlike in the U.S.). Even in places that offered free wifi (pronounced “weefee” in Europe) this seemed to be the case. What were people doing instead? Relaxing, conversing with friends and reading. What a refreshing idea! Consider taking a line from the introvert playbook and take the time to recharge yourself.

“With its new CEO an introvert, perhaps Google will never tap its inner Apple. But maybe, in the bigger picture, that’s a trade-off worth making. Page is not a CEO out of central casting, despite the fact that Wall Street and the media tend to prefer extroverts as leaders: the superhero who puffs out his chest and delivers bold, motivating pronouncements. ”

The piece also mentions the new research coming out by the Harvard/Wharton/UNC team that we have cited here before. The Gino, Grant and Hofman team found Introverted leaders to be more effective in listening and creating dialogue with their teams. It also makes the case that introverts do well when they integrate some extroverted people and approaches into the mix.

An example: “The hallmarks of Google culture, including the weekly TGIF sessions where Page and Brin take questions from employees, are precisely about creating dialogue. Even if the company relies less on 20% time for unfettered product development, Page’s personal style is likely to keep new ideas flowing…. As the success of the Bing sting indicates, Page seems to be listening to his extroverts in embracing a bolder public profile — not for himself, but for Google.”

It will be interesting to track Larry Page’s career with this I-E perspective in mind.

The taboo about being a quieter leader in a Type A world remains, though. In fact, a reporter for a national news outlet recently shared that she had trouble finding introverted execs who would “go on the record”. Your courage to share how you embrace who you are and also manage your introversion takes us leaps forward. Getting the best out of both the “innies” and “outies” on our teams will lead to positive results for ourselves, our organizations and each other. Kudos to you.”

Of course, I asked Bill about our fave topic: introverted leaders. Here is some of what he shared,