It’s been a long time since I’ve corresponded with you, during which I have been immersed in writing a new book.
You see, I spent the last twenty years or so devising ways to help introverts develop skills to become visible and valued in a world that typically undervalues them and relegates them to the sidelines. I worked with people who were in job transition during the recession and I coached what I called “corporate refugees” who had been laid off, often for the crime of not talking enough.
Two years ago I had an epiphany: Why was I helping people function in a dysfunctional culture? Shouldn’t the dysfunctional culture somehow be made more functional for these quietly brilliant folk?
The stars have aligned to make this possible: we have very low unemployment and the most desirable of employees are those who have the complex skills necessary in our increasingly complex society, which demands the ability to think deeply and handle complicated matters – in short, people most likely to be introverts.
Companies are searching for these employees and hurting because the rate of turnover of unhappy employees is costing them. They don’t know what these bright people need in order to be engaged and enthusiastic employees who want to stay. Well, I do.
Furthermore, organizations are crying out desperately for new sources of leadership. This is the #1 item on the “worry agenda” for CEOs everywhere.
And I could see that these organizations and their CEOs are stuck on a stereotyped view of leadership that filters out some of the potentially best leaders.
Thus was born the idea for my book, which I started by interviewing introvert CEOs in the Twin Cities in 2017.
More stars aligned when I discovered that new research was coming out in 2018 that supported my assertion that introverts can make the best leaders, all the way to the top.
The title? Quiet Brilliance: Solving Corporate America’s Leadership Crisis with “Hiding in Plain Sight” Talent.
In it, I explore all the cultural biases that have developed against introverts, then all the easy adjustments in perception and behavior that managers can take to bring out the best in these valuable players. In fact, this is a how-to book for senior leaders, managers, supervisors, recruiters and hiring managers, enabling them to join the companies who have experienced as much as a 200% advantage over their competition by including introversion in their diversity protocols.
In the coming weeks I will be sending you articles and excerpts from this book.
In the meantime, stay tuned for the launch date – September 1, 2019.
Best wishes to you, my fellow Tribe members
