A math teacher in high school wrote in my high school yearbook, “Quietly effective.” That is how introverts often are in business and life. It’s only because there is an introvert stereotype that because we are more private that somehow people think introverts can’t be effective.
We start with value. Because we’re usually observing, as well as creating in the background, we might well be a groundbreaker but not get noticed. We take the gems of what learn and bring that value, slowly at times, to whatever the relationship is – business or personal.
From that value point, build the relationship. When you start a relationship from a value point, you have the attention of the other person. The other person knows you are interested in them as you listen and ask questions. Social skills like speaking or presenting can be learned and honed.
It’s quality not quantity. Even though for an introvert, our mantra might be “one is company and two’s a crowd,” we deepen and build on the value that started a relationship. More than ever, people want richness and fullness to their relationships and as introverts, it’s natural for us.
Being alone means being in charge. The reason for aloneness, not to be confused with lonely, is because introverts get energy, and balance, being alone. The alone time strengthens clarity, focus and knowing when to take action.
As Lee Anne Lambert, author of Living Introverted, says, “introverts are settled behind the scenes.” It’s those very tendencies that allow us to start with value and then build on relationships. It’s the quality of those relationships, as well as the relationship with ourselves, that allows us to be, in business and life, “quietly effective.”
How do you find your introversion allows you to be effective?