The Quiet Leaders: How Shy CEOs Succeed

In an episode of Silicon Valley, a series about the roller-coaster ride that is running a tech start-up, the protagonists acquire a company 10 times the size of their own. At that point, the introverted CEO, who was used to addressing a group of only four people, suddenly needs to greet a room filled with all the new employees. This proves to be an overwhelming task, so he runs back into his office to puke into a paper bin, only to discover that the glass walls in the office have made it so the crowd can watch every bit of the action.

It may be hard to imagine someone in a leadership role who’s both shy and good at their job, but these characteristics aren’t mutually exclusive. Not every CEO needs to be charismatic and extroverted. For every Steve Jobs, there’s a Larry Page; most people can picture Apple’s former CEO, but do you recall what the co-founder of Google looks like?

A few common misconceptions about introverts are that they are unfriendly, socially inept, dislike collaboration, and shy away from leadership roles. But introverts have certainly emerged as leaders in tech start-ups, politics, and beyond, and rightfully so: Studies have shown that they can be just as successful at leading as their extroverted peers.

Francesca Gino, a behavioral scientist at Harvard Business School, has shown that introverted leaders can do well, especially when leading proactive teams. As Gino, Adam M. Grant, and David A. Hofmann detail in their study Reversing the extraverted leadership advantage: The role of employee proactivity, organizations can create the right place for introverted leaders to be successful—simply by creating a work environment where people feel free to speak up and be proactive.

Such a pleasure to meet

Charisma helps us make connections, earn trust faster, grow our audience, and inspire our employees. Being social and outgoing also helps us meet new people at networking events (or ensure we even attend in the first place), and the entrepreneurial lifestyle is an overall chaotic and noisy one—something that few introverts prefer.

As well, the CEO job often entails networking events, public speeches, presentations, or even just simple conversations where a leader will need to project confidence and authority. All things being equal, entrepreneurs may do better when they’re charismatic since they are unlikely to be perceived as reserved or aloof.

However, being shy doesn’t mean that someone isn’t good at social interactions, or even that they find those social interactions a drag—at least in the short run.

A study from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium found that when introverts act more extroverted, they may feel happier and more energetic at first, but their energy will drop later on. It seems as though it takes extra mental effort for shy individuals to act against their natural personality, and although there are short-term mood benefits, forcing an introvert to be extroverted can lead to long-term mental fatigue and drained energy. While introverts might feel better temporarily by acting outgoing, they may become worn out in the long run.

Listening your way to success

Adam Grant, a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a coauthor of the first study referenced above, points out that introverts tend to be less threatened by others’ ideas, and “they’ll collect a lot of them before determining a vision.”

Introverts have a natural need to process information deeply and consider multiple perspectives before speaking up. This active listening and thoughtful approach to communication usually fosters a deeper understanding of the subject matter, which then leads to more informed decisions—and more informed decision-making is a keystone element of effective leadership.

To research the impact of introversion and extroversion on leadership, Karl Moore of McGill University interviewed hundreds of CEOs. He found that both personality types have their advantages at times. He also agrees that introverted leaders are often better listeners and tend to wait before expressing their ideas, a practice that ensures those ideas are more formed and well thought out. Conversely, on occasion, a more introverted leader has to act like an extrovert to be effective: “They need to pump up the volume and show themselves to be genuinely excited about a new strategy, or a new member joining their team. They need to give that stirring speech which gives us hope of a brighter future.”

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That stirring speech may actually come about naturally. Introverted CEOs often strive to maintain authenticity and sincerity in their communication, so rather than trying to mimic extroverted styles, they may end up delivering a heartwarming speech by sharing personal anecdotes that resonate with the audience.

Anxiety before speaking in front of large groups is only natural and certainly not limited to those who consider themselves “shy.” There are plenty of tricks and techniques to help ease one’s nerves: deep breathing, visualization, positive self-talk, or the big one: preparation. There’s no shame in preparing for an all-hands meeting by creating slides, outlining key points, and rehearsing the delivery.

And as CEOs, we have all the power to get the help we need. Bill Gates, one of the best examples of a successful introvert, believes it’s important to find people who complement our own strengths and weaknesses. In his words:

You can learn to get the benefits of being an introvert, […] go off for a few days and think about a tough problem, read everything you can, push yourself very hard to think out on the edge of that area. Then, if you come up with something, […] you better learn what extroverts do, you better hire some extroverts and tap into both sets of skills.