As an introvert with a career in the business area, I’ve heard it all when identifying my personality type. I get comments like: “You’re an Introvert? No way! You seem so social!” And my personal favorite: “I would have never known you are an introvert by how well you talk to people!” As if that’s supposed to be some sort of weird compliment.

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve shocked someone when telling them I was an introvert at work, I would have a lot of dollars. And to be honest, that’s only a slight exaggeration.

When admitting my introversion to my peers, the level of shock varies. Though it seems to vary on a scale of only mildly shocked to substantially astonished.

After all, a young woman with a successful career heavily based around social interaction just can’t be an introvert. A business professional who can keep up office chit-chat and engage clients has to be an extrovert. Right?

Well, actually…wrong. As hard as it may be to believe, introverts can successfully dominate the office. And as much of a daily eye-roller it is for introverts like me, your comments go over our heads because we know this.

But why is it that people have a hard time believing that strong businesspeople can be introverts? Or that people with good social skills don’t necessarily have to be an extrovert? It all simply stems from the lack of understanding of what an introvert really is.

People Don’t Understand Introversion

The truth is, the majority of people do not understand introverts and introversion. The most common conception is that introverts are shy, quiet, self-conscious, and socially awkward.

Sure, we may have some degrees of the above attributes. But in actuality, it’s a bold claim to state that we have every single one of those traits.

An introvert is really just an individual who favors a more laid-back and calm environment. Introverts get their energy from reflection. We get our energy from our thoughts, alone-time and the precious time we take to self-reflect. All whilst extroverts get their energy from people, interaction, and expression.

The lack of understanding of introversion is the key reason for the disbelief of an introvert’s success in the business field. And the misunderstanding leads to several common myths about introverts who work in business.

1. Introverts lack the confidence needed to be a successful businessperson

Having self-confidence is essential to being a successful businessperson. Honestly, confidence is key to excelling in any field, business-related or not.

The first myth about introverts in business is that we lack the confidence needed to be successful. That we lack the confidence needed to get through a tough call or social interaction. That we, who prefer calm environments, can’t excel in a chaotic one. Or that us introverts do not have the ability to gear ourselves up for a difficult situation.

The truth? Introverts can be just as confident in themselves and their work as extroverts. Self-confidence is the feeling of trust in one’s qualities, abilities, and judgment.¹ To become self-confident is a personal mission obtained from self-reflection and study.

And what is one thing introverts excel at? Self-reflection and study of course. After all, self-reflection is how we get our energy. And our preference for calm environments allows for careful study of our surroundings.

This makes us introverts focused on taking everything in and learning details. And a large part of confidence comes from knowing your craft. Introverts can get to the same level of confidence as an extrovert, just in a different manner.

2. Introverts don’t know how to talk to people including their clients and customers

Here’s a big one we’ve all heard before: Introverts don’t know how to talk to people. That we can’t succeed in business because we can’t “talk the talk.” We can’t succeed because we can’t successfully sell to our clients. Well, do I have some news for you. This assumption is false.

Sure, we like our downtime and prefer less social interaction. But where do introverts excel? In listening and analyzing what we hear, of course. Because introverts are good listeners, we pick up on things other people might miss.

This allows us to better explain things, such as products and services, to our customers. The listening skill allows for the resolution of specific pain points.

Also, introverts are good at thinking before speaking. Thinking before speaking allows the conveying of messages tactfully and effectively. Which successfully translates into business growth and more sales.

3. Introverts are awkward, weird, and don’t fit in

Introverts tend to be more reserved than extroverts. It’s a fact. We prefer a little more silence. And this oftentimes paints us as socially-awkward or plain non-sociable in popular media. It has for years.

Extroverts get the popular kid role in the movies while introverts get the quiet goth kid. Extroverts are the sports stars who make their personality about socializing. All while introverts are the nerds who sit quietly and focus on studies.

The truth is there are a lot of introverts out there. And naturally, you have all sorts of different types of people from different walks of life. Sure, the nerdy and brainy introverts exist. Yes, there are the introverts who live in their mom’s basement and play video games just like the ones you see on TV.

But there are also introverts who have friends and attend parties. There are introverts like myself who socialize daily at their 9 to 5 office job. The day-to-day practice we get from speaking actually strengthens our social skills. Which deters that social awkwardness stereotype. Practice makes perfect after all.

We aren’t all socially awkward and weird. If anything, we are masters at flipping the social switch.

4. Introverts can’t succeed in business because they can’t network

The conception that introverts can’t be successful networkers is another laughable myth. Sure, a lot of networking is schmoozing and trying to make yourself marketable. And I speak only for myself when I say I hate schmoozing and talking about myself to strangers.

But, we can be successful in networking because our core skills are analysis and reflection. We know how to observe people and pick apart what makes them tick. We also know how to present ourselves in a manner that will be likable.

And our listening skills make us excellent butt-kissers. I personally am a master of the art of butt-kissing.

5. To be a successful manager or leader, you must be an extrovert

The final myth is that to be a successful leader, you have to be a “people person.” Which is typically what society defines as an extrovert.

Let’s go back to all the previous points. The fact that introverts can develop self-confidence in reflection. The analytical nature and listening abilities we have developed. And most importantly, the masters we have become at flipping the social switch.

Because we aren’t social with everyone and anyone, introverts build more meaningful relationships. We value quality over quantity in most aspects. This is no different when it comes to relationships.

We strive for a productive and stable work environment. This means we are kings and queens of motivating our staff, as we take the time to learn who they are. We take the necessary time to analyze and learn what they need to succeed.

We also lead by example as productivity is number one to us. The greatest leaders are models to their followers. And us studious introverts? We are the models.

The Bottom Line

What is the fundamental difference between introverts, like myself, and extroverts? It’s simple.

I, an introvert, find socializing to be a draining activity. In fact, it’s so draining to the point that sometimes when I come home from work, I want to not socialize for the rest of the day. Extroverts have the opposite feelings towards socialization. They gain their energy from others and from socializing.

But that is the delicate balance in life we introverted business people need. We may have to wake ourselves up and have a self-motivational talk to tolerate people on that day. But we see it as our mission. It is part of the job to tolerate people.

We then come home, or to our calm environment and reflect. To recharge and analyze. We build our self-confidence through the conversations we have in our own minds. And we observe and listen to the people around us.

This is why introverts can and do make successful business people. Why we can be just as successful as our extroverted neighbor. And why we are essential not only for the balance of the office but for the balance of the world.

Sources/Links:

Introvert Dear – What is an Introvert
1) Oxford Dictionary (Self-confidence definition)