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When you think of a managerial type or a leader in business, your mind typically goes to someone extroverted. Someone outgoing who can command a room and take control is the key ingredient for leading a business to success, right? Not quite.
Adam Grant, Professor of Management at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, has conducted research that says introverts produce stronger outcomes in the workplace than extroverts.
While it’s easy to dismiss someone who is on the quiet, thoughtful side, this doesn’t make anyone who considers themselves introverted to be any less of a strong manager or business owner. Don’t shy away from putting someone who keeps to themselves in a leadership role if you know they’re up to the task - the hidden greatness they possess may surprise you.
Here are three reasons why introverts make great business leaders:
1. They keep the balance
If the U.S. workplace embraces only outgoing individuals in management roles, then any organization could find itself to be imbalanced. It is only with balance and divergent perspectives that organizations can thrive and succeed. There’s a good chance that your office is already filled with a good amount of extroverts. Loud, confident, people-person types tend to do well in interviews and have a good chance of getting the job. Hire for both types of people to ensure your company is truly balanced out.
2. They offer a different side
Introverts are often calm, thoughtful, and meditative. They evaluate and provide unique insight and perspective, which is excellent for any sort of organization. If a team is filled with a group of people that thinks too similarly, there will be no growth, and ideas will not be challenged. Having both an extroverted way of thinking and an introverted way in meetings and brainstorming sessions helps to round out how your business does things.
3. They keep the work environment from getting stagnant
I’ve been a part of a few organizations where the goal was to create a homogeneous set of employees who all followed the same methodology, including communication and presentation style. This seemed to always lead to a stagnant work environment. Having people who have different styles of communication can be a key opportunity in a business environment.
I see it both in my husband and myself all the time. I myself am an extrovert, and he is an introvert. We both own businesses. The two of us together are able to provide insight to the other regarding successes and failures in our respective businesses, and so much of that is thanks to our different attitudes.
This post originally appeared on Salesforce.com.
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