{"id":3181,"date":"2018-03-02T05:34:47","date_gmt":"2018-03-02T05:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-476313-1496493.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=3181"},"modified":"2018-03-02T06:17:45","modified_gmt":"2018-03-02T06:17:45","slug":"five-skills-of-highly-successful-introvert-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quietbrillianceconsulting.com\/five-skills-of-highly-successful-introvert-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Skills of Highly Successful Introvert Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I have long called introverts the \u201cquietly brilliant\u201d and I was not surprised but I was concerned when I found that Ones & Dilchert\u2019s 2009 study showed that only 2% of CEOs were introverts. Does that mean that introverts should never aspire to leadership? Is there a glass ceiling for introverts? Or is opportunity knocking but unrecognized?<\/span><\/p>\n

I decided to seek out those introverts who had made it to the C-suite to determine what were the keys to their success, so I am currently spending the year doing interviews for my upcoming book, The Introvert CEO.<\/span><\/p>\n

Along the way, I found a study by researchers at ghSmart, who spent 10 years creating the CEO Genome Project, resulting in a database of 17,000 executives, including 2000 CEOs. They found over half the successful CEOs were introverts. Unfortunately, that still isn\u2019t a large number.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Nevertheless, we may be on our way to a cultural shift in the United States \u2013 away from the sole reliance on the dynamic and charismatic leader, and incorporating the other, quieter half of the population. I certainly hope so; here are some points I have found that are displayed by introvert CEOs.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Successful Introvert CEOs are:<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

\nPredictable and reliable<\/span><\/strong>
\nWhat might initially seem dull is actually an asset. Being inventive and continually surprising may be exciting to observe and have a certain amount of publicity value; however, the CEOs who lead companies that steadily progress towards success are deliberate and thoughtful under pressure, especially when engaging with others, despite the emotions surrounding the stressful event.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Their team members are not surprised by sudden and unpredictable emotional shifts, or rapid, unexpected changes in direction, throwing them off balance. The anxiety caused by those shifts can undermine trust. And trust has been shown to be the #1 factor in employee engagement and productivity.<\/span><\/div>\n

\nHumble<\/strong><\/span>
\nTheir egos don\u2019t get in the way of progress; they know they don\u2019t have all the answers and are willing to build a diverse team that supplements their own talents. They use their abilities for the good of the team, rather than for their self-serving desires.<\/span><\/div>\n

\nThoughtful communicators<\/strong>
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Successful introvert CEOs spend a lot of time strategizing on what and how to communicate. This includes making sure clearly-defined long- and short-term goals are written down and are known to the team. <\/span><\/div>\n

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One CEO I interviewed stated that he felt the most important question to answer for his team members was \u201cwhy?\u201d Why are we making this change? What do we expect will be the consequences? He found that his team was extremely supportive even of major changes the company was making which were disruptive and called them to work harder, once they were involved with and understood the \u201cwhy?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n

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Collaborative rather than competitive<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n
Introvert leaders have no appetite for the \u201chand-to-hand combat\u201d of individual competition, and frequently withdraw from such battles. Instead, they want to be the best leader they can be. They have the courage and discipline to see the long-term goal, rather than spending their energy on positional combat.<\/span><\/div>\n

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A CEO I interviewed admitted that he was extremely competitive at board games they played at home, explaining that it wasn\u2019t about beating the opponents; it was about doing the best he could at that darned game!<\/span><\/div>\n

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So they are more concerned with \u201cbeating\u201d the game than defeating another person: that is, finding the best ways to solve problems and to make their companies competitive. They focus on making their company competitive by setting up the best platforms for collaboration, including:<\/span><\/div>\n
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