My fellow introverts, if you take this pledge and live this pledge in 2013 I promise you by the end of the year your career will have expanded in ways you cannot imagine!
Keep in mind that being an introvert means you get your energy from your inner world of ideas, thoughts, dreams and images instead of from the outer world of people and activities. Being an introvert does not mean you are shy or dislike social situations, although many people mistakenly believe this to be true. Since we introverts get our energy from within, we simply have an innate preference to be alone or in small groups because these environments “feed” us rather than drain our energy. However, we are fully capable of being dynamic, engaging and charming in large groups, we just need to recognize that these situations will drain us of our energy and we’ll need to recharge afterward!
The Introvert’s 2013 Business and Leadership Success Pledge:
1. I will schedule into my work day time to recharge, particularly on days when I’ll be in large meetings or around people who tend to drain my energy.
2. I will be open with my colleagues and boss about my introversion. I will let them know that periodically I will choose to have lunch alone or close my office door for 10 minutes simply to recharge, so I can bring a renewed self to my work. This will not only help me personally, it will make me a more effective colleague and leader, and will prevent my colleagues and boss from mistakenly thinking I’m not being a “team player” when I take time alone.
3. I will ask for one-on-one meetings with my boss and relevant colleagues prior to important/large meetings so I will have time to be aware of, and think through, issues and questions that may come up. This will give me the opportunity to do my own “inner world” brainstorming beforehand so I’ll be comfortable contributing during the meeting and will avoid feeling I’ve been “put on the spot.”
4. Given that my ideas and contributions need to be visible in my organization in order to move up the “ladder of success,” I will find organizationally appropriate ways to ensure this happens. I will make this a priority.
5. I will ask for what I want, even if that means getting out of my comfort zone, because there is great power and possibility when you ask for what you want.
6. Speaking of getting out of my comfort zone, I will get out of it in a BIG way at least once in 2013, knowing I will learn and grow through the process. (If you’re looking for ideas you can do what I’m doing and sign up for a week-long, national ballroom dance competition with 1000 other people in Las Vegas…light-years out of my comfort zone! Or perhaps you’ll choose something a little less crazy. 🙂 )
7. I will remember that my natural tendency to “think/noodle on things inside my head,” and to take a while to respond when others ask me a question, can be misconstrued by my extroverted colleagues as not liking their ideas or not having an opinion. I will be conscious of this so I can be clear that I just need a minute to think through their question. This is particularly important during phone conversations.
8. When I am tempted not to go to important networking events, conferences and business parties I will choose to go anyway, knowing that relationships are a foundation of my success. I will reward myself with quiet, recharging time afterward and will discover that my life becomes richer in the process. (For more tips, see my Introvert’s Guide to Attending a Conference!)
9. I will honor my strengths. My inner world of ideas, thoughts and dreams makes me a brilliant visionary, strategist, creator, innovator and even storyteller. I will tap into all of these strengths this year and appreciate their power!
10. I will, once and for all, stop trying to be someone I’m not! I will stop trying to “get over” my introversion and will choose, instead, to celebrate the vast power it offers! I will stop thinking extroverts are somehow “better” than we introverts, or that they have more fun, and will acknowledge that true success, joy and happiness will come from being more of who I am meant to be!
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The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership
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Being an introvert is truly an advantage in business and leadership if you know how to leverage it, and if you remain true to yourself.
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22 Response Comments
All true, but I really love #10! I’m slowly learning to delight in my introversion publicly and without hesitation. Keep up the good work, partner!
I was hoping you would like this post! 🙂 LOVE that you connected most with #10! Thanks for the constant support and encouragement, partner!
“1. I will schedule into my work day time to recharge, particularly on days when I’ll be in large meetings or around people who tend to drain my energy.”
And I think we should all focus in 2013 in LIMITING exposure to people who tend to drain our energy! Definitely a focus for me this year!
I need more people like you in my life 😉
I appreciate that, Mack, and feel the very same way! 🙂 Thank you so much for your support!
Excellent post! I particularly resonated with #2. It’s so important for introverts like us to be more vulnerable and have honest discussions with the people we work with. Sharing even just a little information about ourselves can go a really long way, and help others understand us better. I have learned this from experience! This pledge is great and its wonderful to see more support and celebration for introverts. 🙂
Thank you, Christian! It’s an honor and pleasure to have you here!
Thank you very much for your post Lisa. I gained deep insight from it and feel comfortable knowing there are other people like me. It’s sad though that most employers don’t hire introverts 🙁
You’re welcome, Aaron! I’m honored to know it was helpful for you! Thank you so much for being here and for taking time to comment, it means a lot to me!
You’re welcome 🙂 Any advice on how to pass telephone interviews? I’m going to purchase your book “The Introvert’s Guide to Success in Business and Leadership” very soon.
Lisa, thank you for sharing. Number 7 and 8 are the most powerful for me. They identify the smaller day to day choices related to my introversion that can have a huge long-term impact. For that reason they feel more doable.
You’re welcome, Todd! Those are both critical. Number 7 actually changed my whole dynamic of working with one of my clients! And 8 is important in ways that affects our whole lives. I wish you all the best with both of these – please keep me posted!
All great points, Lisa. I’m owning up to #8. I will learn to go anyway. Thanks for the reminders that its okay to be who we are, but we must still get the work done.
So happy to hear that! And you’re more than welcome. 🙂
Hi Lisa,
I just love this list and find myself wanting to stand on my rooftop and scream out loud “This stuff is truuuue!”
As a card carrying introvert who lives under the smothering cloud of chronic depression, I follow #1 like a mantra.
My most popular blog post in 2012 was about this point – the need to step aside each day and find that quiet moment where you can get in your own space and recharge. It could be…blocking out 15 mins in your calendar so you can go and sit quietly, getting off the train or bus 1-2 stops early and walking by yourself, lying under a tree in the park nearby…whatever works for you.
The point is, I use #1 to help heal, and to turn my quiet time into a real source of strength and self reflection.
Thanks so much for sharing this post. You are incredible.
Tony, this comment is just so beautiful and touching. Thank you for inspiring me today by letting me know that my words are making a difference for you – that means so much to me! How wonderful that you know in your heart the power of that time alone – how it is helping you heal in many ways. That is sacred time and space for you, my friend! Thank you for sharing part of your journey here with me. All the best to you in 2013!
Interesting pledge!
We like to think alone in a quiet office. We process information internally and prefer to think before reacting. We dislike long meetings and small talk, but we love to discuss topics that matter to us.
We introverts like asking questions and understanding clients’ needs before presenting.
Very often people mistake introversion for shyness, quietness, or unfriendliness. How wrong people can be!
Beautifully said, Alen! Thank you for being here and taking the time to comment, I sincerely appreciate it!