The world of business requires bold, brass and strong leaders to motivate their teams to success. It is fairly common for many self-confirmed introverts to find themselves in the position of leading a team or even an entire company. When your great idea suddenly takes off, and you realize that you must be responsible for taking it to the next level, your ability to stay in the shadows suddenly evaporates.
Regardless of how you prefer to socialize in your personal life, when leading a team, it is crucial that you learn how to transition from being an introvert to becoming a strong and visible leader. There is simply too much riding on the success of your team and your company to do anything else. The steps below provide valuable tips on how to make that transition.
Make the Most of Your Time Alone
As an introvert, most likely you have a strong desire to spend time away from people. Many introverts find that time alone is almost as important as breathing. The good news is that you can actually put that much-needed alone time into good use by thinking about strategy and coming up with solutions for the best direction in which to take your team. Taking some time for yourself is a great way to strategize, relax, and recharge so that you will be an even more effective leader when you return. Rather than feeling guilty about the need to take some time to be alone, make the most of it by turning it into a productive brainstorming and strategic session.
Redesigning Meetings to Suit Your Preferred Communication Style
When you are leading a team, there is no getting around the fact that you must interact with others. For someone who is a little bit shy, meetings are akin to torture. Keep in mind, however, that team meetings are not the only way to make progress. Instead, consider using one-on-one meetings to move your team forward. This type of more relaxed interaction is often ideal for introverts, providing a comfortable environment for problem solving and working through conflicts.
Identifying Fellow Introverts
As an introvert, it often seems as though you are the only person in the world who feels uncomfortable in a crowd. However, the reality is much different. In fact, within any team, there are usually many different types of personalities, so there is a good chance that you are not the only introvert in your team. The only difference is that you happen to be the leader. While the more outgoing people on your team may have a tendency to overlook the quiet people, as an introvert, you have the significant advantage of identifying those people who may not make their voices heard, but who still may have excellent ideas.
Using Social Networking to Your Advantage
Remember to take advantage of the tools available to you that allow you to network with others in an arena like social media that does not make you feel uncomfortable. By developing an online presence, you can take advantage of the opportunity to gain visibility, and even cultivate the reputation of being a thought leader. Regardless of how uncomfortable you are with public speaking, social networking levels the playing field.
In order to become a strong leader, you have no option but to step out of your comfort zone. To do that, you need to analyze your personality to figure out what is preventing you from taking the next step, and make the necessary changes. It could be something as simple as making eye contact more frequently, or raising your voice a tad. Even a few simple steps can make a tremendous difference in terms of how your team perceives you.
Making the transition from being an introvert to a strong leader does take time and is not something that will take place overnight. While you likely will never change your true personality, with concentrated effort, you can step out of your shell to learn how to be a strong leader.
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