Here's an inspiring Harvard Business Review blogpost from Campbell Soup CEO Doug Conant. Conant shares some of his strategies for quiet leadership, including (interestingly) letting people know that he's shy, not aloof.
There is one strategy he doesn't share, though, but for which he is well-known: writing handwritten notes of appreciation to his employees. Conant has written THIRTY THOUSAND such notes in the last decade. 30,000! He says he believes that engaging employees, and letting them know they're valued, is a strategic tool.
Perhaps he doesn't link this practice to his introversion, but of course it must be related. What extrovert would sit in his office for hours at a time writing all those thank you cards?
Conant ends his post by asking this question: If you are an introvert — or work for one — what are the most successful strategies you have discovered for thriving at work?
Here are three of mine, from my corporate lawyer days:
1. When in meetings, it helps to participate early. This not only establishes your presence in the room, but alleviates any anticipatory anxiety you might feel about jumping in. You don't have to hold forth -- asking a simple clarifying question will do.
2. Choose your employer carefully. When I was selecting among law firms, I only considered those that had private offices for every lawyer. I also chose a firm (Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton) with a quirky, intellectual culture, where I felt right at home.
3. Use your natural strengths. When I first started practicing, I worried a lot that I wasn't a table-pounder by nature. But I soon found that I could put my conflict-avoidance to work by helping clients to make deals, not war. Another big asset at the negotiation table is to ask a lot of questions -- every how-to-negotiate book will tell you this -- and introverts are naturally quick with the question marks.
I would love to hear your strategies. Please do share.
*Also, a big thank you to all those who commented on my post ("Should Teachers Base Grades on Class Participation?") I will plan to synthesize all the comments into one post that you can see at a glance. In the meantime, keep 'em coming!
If you like this blog, you might like to pre-order my forthcoming book, QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.
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