Can Leaders Be Introverted?
Bill Dieckmann
April 2015


Recently I have been thinking about introverts and extroverts as it relates to leadership.  Definitions for introverts and extroverts are all over the board without having a universal definition.  But I did find some agreement:

Introverts:  have a few close friends, read books and work crossword puzzles.
Extroverts:  like activities with others, love to meet people, and love to go skiing.

Before reading a lot on the subject I am already discovering some differences.  
Introverts and extroverts tend to work differently.  For extroverts they like to work quickly and make fast decisions.  They like to take risks and love the race.  With introverts they move more slowly, like to work on one task at a time, and making time for concentration is a must.

*In 1921 the Masterful Personality listed the following as it described leadership:
Citizenship, Duty, Work, Golden Deeds, Honor, Reputation, Morals, Manners, and Integrity.

*Now the new Dale Carnegie lists the following as their leadership traits:  Magnetic, Fascinating, Stunning, Attractive, Glowing, Dominate, Forceful, and Energetic.  

Just take a minute and look at the differences between these two lists. What a contrast of emphasis!  Something changed big time.  Look how movies and advertisers promote leadership traits.  It follows the Dale Carnegie traits.

So this is my question:  Does leadership favor introverts over extroverts?

Here is what Peter Drucker a well know management expert says, “Among the most effective leaders I have encountered and worked with in the past half a century, some locked themselves into their office and others were ultra-gregarious.  Some were quick and impulsive, while others studied the situation and took forever to come to a decision… The one and only personality trait the effective ones I have encountered did have in common was something they did not have:  they had little or no ‘charisma” and little either for the term or what it signifies.”

Another business leader Jim Collins shared that we do not need giant personalities to transform companies.  We need leaders who build not their own egos but the institutions they run.  (From the book Quiet)

Follow political races and notice the media when they talk about a candidate’s charisma.  For some the idea of an introvert does not compute to effective leadership.  Go back and read the two lists from 1921 and Dale Carnegie.*  From which list would you pull effective leadership traits?  Interesting!

Some of us will find work in an extrovert world with an introvert personality.  What do you do?  Find some time for “me” time.  This will help recharge your “batteries.”

If you find yourself an introvert in an extrovert world, be persistent.  You may be finding yourself with a lot of external stimulus.  Einstein said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s that I stay with problems longer.”  Einstein was an introvert.

Introverts exist in a world where mixing with people is not optional, so have time to mix with others and find some quiet spots in your world.

Leadership is developed in the trenches.  Leadership is discipline and character development.  In our organizations we must develop times to think, reflect, and evaluate!

An example from the Bible about an introvert:

“But Moses said to the Lord, ‘O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow to tongue.’  Then the Lord said to him, ‘Who gives speech to mortals?  Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind?  It is not I, the Lord?  Now go, and I will be your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.’  But he said, ‘O my Lord, please send someone else.”  Exodus 4:10-13

What is the greatest gift introverts can bring to the world?  It is a longing for depth.  Read the following statement and you will see why that is said.

“Immersing myself in a book or lengthy article used to be easy.  My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through lone stretches of prose.  That’s rarely the case anymore.  Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages.  I get fidgety, loose the thread, and begin looking for something else to do.  I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading used to come naturally for me has become a struggle.”  Nicholar Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid”


© “Coaching to the Max:  Take the Next Step”   April 2015/Updated November 2020