I had a private exchange on Twitter a few days ago with Carol Roth in which I mentioned to her that I’m a “political junkie.” I minored in poli sci during my undergrad years, absolutely love political conversation, and the few moments each day I spend watching TV are generally spent watching political news shows.
As I shared this with Carol I remembered a dream I had many years ago – to “grow up” to be a Senator. But as much as it was a dream, I knew I would never pursue it.
Why? I’m an introvert, and the thought of campaigning – which is essentially intense networking – for days on end and months on end was simply overwhelming. So, I put that dream aside without much thought and went into the business world instead.
Which led me to ponder, “Did I subconsciously let my introversion disempower my dream? And do extroverts have an advantage in politics because of the campaign system?”
The work of politics vs. the campaign to get there
The truth is, the idea of being a Senator was incredibly appealing to me. In my admittedly romantic mind, politics is about dedication to a higher purpose, devoting your work to making the world a better place, and negotiating win-win agreements that move the country forward. It’s all about the ideas – developing them, creating coalitions around them, and then bringing them to life; idyllic work for an introvert!
I wanted to “grow up” to do this and I knew in my heart I could be brilliant at it. But I also knew that what it would take to get there – the campaigning – would take me completely out of my comfort zone as an introvert. Now, I mention in my eBook, “The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership,” that it’s important to get out of our comfort zone in order to advance in business. But in the business world, it’s possible to create a manageable flow of times you’re in your comfort zone and times you’re outside it.
A campaign for political office is different. You are out of your comfort zone and immersed in the “outer world” of people in a very intense way for a lengthy period. Introverts get their energy from the inner world of ideas, so spending such intense periods of time out of that energy zone is immensely draining.
And while the debates that complete the campaign cycle are ideal environments for introverts to share their passion for their ideas, I believe in today’s political campaign cycle extroverts have an advantage because they are energized by the ongoing process of meeting people and networking. This innately natural comfort zone of the “world of people” makes it easier for them to connect with others day in and day out. You’ll note, journalists and commentators are noticing this and reporting on it.
So what does this mean for their ability to be effective leaders?
Here’s the rub. Just because someone is an effective or brilliant campaigner, doesn’t mean they’ll be an excellent leader. These are two very different competencies. As mentioned above, the work of a politician is entirely within the comfort zone of an introvert, and many introverts – Abraham Lincoln most notably – are thoroughly successful politicians and leaders.
Introverted leaders are highly effective when they focus their energy on their ideas and then share these ideas in small groups or one-on-one with others. Lincoln was famous for the line of people that would gather outside his office and meet with him one-on-one, in a way that was most comfortable for him. And the fact that he was energized by his ideas and his vision cannot be debated.
Which leads me to the most important question of this post: How can we create an election process that empowers us to evaluate a candidate’s leadership ability, their capacity to stand behind their ideas with conviction, and to determine their true philosophical mindset about the role of government in a way that levels the playing field between introverts and extroverts?
I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and ideas!
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10 Response Comments
I think the day of the introvert in politics is gone and least for the foreseeable future. The current media climate essentially means you have to be on your game all the time. To be honest, Senator is still the best position for an introvert given the longer term and ability to not be the center of every news cycle. The elections would be murder.
Just imagine 100 years ago. Travel took longer. Time on the train would have been the perfect opportunity to recharge. Reporters weren’t trying to file multiple stories a day, just the one. It would have been great. Until society changes to be less media obsessed, things aren’t going to change.
It is a shame. There are a lot of introverts that have great ideas and would be great leaders. All they can do now is be an adviser.
Laurence,
These are such great examples of how it might have been much easier, “back in the day.” I don’t think I agree that all we can do now is be advisors, but it certainly is much harder (simply in my opinion) for an introvert to be effective and successful with today’s campaign structure. I suspect Romney is an introvert, which is why he’s being seen as having a harder time “connecting” consistently. Stories about him imply he’s much more engaging in a one-on-one setting. Thanks for sharing your great insights and pointing out that the role of Senator really is ideal in more ways than one!
It is unfortunate that politics today has very little to do with leadership, policy or ideas. It has become all about funding for marketing, spin and attack ads. You need thick skin to make it through that and the media attention.
I don’t think Extroverts have any less problem (maybe more so) dealing with needing thick skin. Introverts at least can recharge in other ways and are more focused on ideas than what “everyone” thinks.
I think the trick (as mentioned above) is to find a way to find alone time without seeming aloof or stand-offish. Up here in Canada I would classify our current Prime Minister as an Introvert so it can work .
Would be nice to see politics clean up and be about issues and solutions and not the dirt and fear mongering. The Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus are real right?
Maybe if more Introverts can stomach the “getting elected” part that will change.
Thank you for raising such excellent points, Doug. I need to learn more about the Canadian system and I am definitely an idealist like yourself. 🙂 I also agree, having a thick skin would not be any easier on extroverts; I think it’s simply the nature of the campaign events that are more in their comfort zone. All the best and thank you so much for sharing your insights!
Lisa, I share your concern that politics has become hostile to introverts, and I appreciate your pointing out that an absence of introverted leaders hurts the country.
But I’m not ready to give up hope. There must be some way for an introvert to survive the election process. An awareness of the problem, certainly, is essential — and insisting on a daily routine that allows time for reflecting and recharging. Also, since every candidate has a retinue of advisers, campaign managers, etc., the candidate must surround him- or herself with people who are trusted, with whom the candidate is comfortable, and who know and care about the candidate.
Did all those years of watching The West Wing turn me into a hopeless idealist? Maybe. These ideas might not solve much, but I like to think they’d be a start.
Larry, I loved The West Wing too. 🙂 And you’re absolutely right, surrounded by the right people who understand introversion and will work to tailor the politician’s approach to their preferred style introverts can certainly get themselves to that level playing field. I’ll join you in that “hopeless idealist” club! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts.
What a great point about campaigning and doing the actual work requiring different skill sets or better suiting introverts and extroverts. This is the same when the top sales person gets “promoted” to sales manager. Their sales skills may be top-notch but their leadership and mentoring skills may be lacking. Frequently it is a train wreck!
Catherine, excellent example, and I too have seen that one in action. Thanks for the great addition to the conversation!
Lisa,
I really like this post. I too am more of an introvert than extrovert. Today’s world is very interesting when it comes to introverts, extroverts and politics. I say that because there are more introverts than before being more “social” than ever without talking to people. Social media is very “social” yet not social at all. Because there are so many influential introverts in social media, we could see a major change in the political world. If those influential introverts in social media decided to get into the political scene we could see a major shift in the political world. Thanks for bringing this topic to light in a great post! Brandon
Thanks for adding a great perspective, Brandon! It’s possible that someone who has become influential via social media could parlay that into a run. They would still need to campaign “on the ground” though, which is so much more draining for us. I’ll have to mull this over! Thanks for sharing your insights!