Dynamic Introverts - The Dynamic Introvert

10 Leadership Tips for Introverts

By Lesley TaylorPosted on March 13, 2019Posted in IntrovertsTagged Dynamic Introverts, Introverts, Leadership

Some of the most successful leaders in the world are introverts. What are the secrets to their success? Here are 10 leadership tips to get you started: Tap into your quiet power by connecting to your passion, values and purpose. There is a lot of power in the spoken word. Share your passion and purpose with others. Develop your personal brand. Start by identifying what makes you unique. You can do part of this work on your own but you will also need to ask others for their opinion of what differentiates you from the crowd. Learn how to say “no”. Research conducted at the University of California, San Francisco, showed that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. Author Randy J. Paterson, writes that “assertiveness is about developing the courage to be yourself.” Develop a personal vision. Experts tell us that having a personal vision is the single most important thing we can do in order to succeed in life. Perhaps our biggest challenge is that all day, every day, our senses are inundated with “data”. In other words, we are in a state of constant stimulation. To counter this, and to find the time to dream about the type of future we would like to create, we need to carve out some time just be “be”. People with a lot of energy are more productive, creative and have a positive influence on others. But don’t confuse energy with activity. Introverts may be better at storing energy for when it is needed. Become a “conscious introvert”. By understanding what it means to be introverted you will gain a clearer understanding of who you are. By becoming conscious of who you are you will inevitably develop into a better leader. Stop thinking so much! Mindfulness meditation is a great way to learn how to do this. There are lots of good books on the subject but I would recommend taking a course with a certified instructor. Then it is up to you to practice. The more you practice the more confident you’ll become as a leader. Develop your listening skills. Introverts may make better leaders because they listen to what others have to say. But sometimes we appear to be listening when, in fact, our minds are busy processing what we have just heard or we are searching for the right words. Don’t go it alone! Whatever you want to call it–Dream Team, Mastermind Group—it pays to surround yourself with people who will support you, champion you, listen to you, challenge you and tell you the truth. Successful people, including many successful leaders know when to ask for help. It’s a sign of strength not a weakness. Set reasonable goals and as you move forward enjoy the journey! Sometimes we get so hung up on getting the perfect results that we make ourselves and those around us miserable. Perfectionism takes the spontaneity out of life. So, stop thinking and micro-managing and learn to enjoy your successes. Information on leadership development is available from The Dynamic Introvert. Here’s to your success!

Do You Suffer from Imposter Syndrome? You’re Not Alone!

By Lesley TaylorPosted on October 18, 2016Posted in IntrovertsTagged Dynamic Introverts, Imposter Syndrome, Marian Smith, Mindfulness Meditation, Pamela Catapia, Stephen Brookfield, The Dynamic Introvert

Do you suffer from imposter syndrome? Are introverts more likely to worry about how we are perceived by others? What is imposter syndrome anyway? These are some of the questions I’ve been pondering this week. The term first appeared on our radar in the 1970s. Imposter syndrome (IS) was described by Dr. Pauline R. Clance in reference to high-achieving individuals who were unable to recognize their accomplishments and had a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. The main symptoms appear to be anxiety or fear. Most of us feel self-doubt at some point in our careers. This is especially true when we first start out or have been recently promoted. But when this self-doubt continues for a protracted period of time it can have a negative impact on our health and our success in life. When I graduated from the University of British Columbia with my newly minted social work degree I felt like a fraud; I had virtually no experience and yet I was expected to help my clients deal with challenging life and death issues. Like many people who suffer from (IS) I felt that once I had more experience I would feel more confident. My “plan of attack” was to continually take work-related courses and work hard. But is this more of an issue for introverts? According to professor of adult education Stephen Brookfield, “introverts are less likely to admit to others that they are struggling and more likely to obsess or ruminate on their own.” On the plus side, Dr. Brookfield acknowledges that “Imposter Syndrome keeps us humble and aware of areas we need to improve on.” But aren’t most introverts already humble enough? Pamela Catapia, registered clinical counsellor agrees that there is a plus side to imposter syndrome, “If you have IS, you’re likely a caring conscientious, talented person who has both the desire and the capacity to improve the world.” Many of her clients have unrecognized or underutilized leadership skills. To summarize, it is ok to feel self-doubt and it is in fact normal. But if our self-doubt continues for a long period of time or interferes with our ability to do our work or to advance in our careers then we need to do something about it. One of the most effective methods of overcoming self-doubt is Mindfulness Meditation. According to Marian Smith, mindfulness teacher in Vancouver, self-compassion practices teach us how to: handle difficult emotions with greater ease motivate ourselves with kindness rather than criticism increase our emotional strength & resilience admit our shortcomings & forgive ourselves when needed relate wholeheartedly to others & be more authentically ourselves Mindfulness meditation is taught all over the world. If you live in the Vancouver area I highly recommend Marian Smith as a teacher.

Dialogue At Work – The Dynamic Introvert’s Advantage

By Lesley TaylorPosted on January 27, 2015Posted in IntrovertsTagged David Bohm, Dialogue, Dynamic Introverts, introverted leaders, Introverts, Lesley Taylor, Nancy M. Dixon, Nominal group technique, Personality differences, William Isaacs

Dialogue at Work – The Dynamic Introvert’s Advantage Recently I was asked to share some suggestions for ways to draw out introverts in a group setting in order to enhance learning for themselves as well as for others. I quickly thought about a few different facilitation tools that would work (the nominal group technique is one) and then I remembered DIALOGUE. When I first read about using dialogue back in the 1990’s the idea really resonated with me. In hindsight I think this was because, as an introvert, I struggled to get my voice heard above the cacophony of noise in most of the meetings that I attended. Introverts often struggle to be heard in meetings. Given our personality differences it should come as no surprise that introverts and extroverts communicate differently. Extroverts tend to talk more often, more quickly and more confidently while introverts listen more than they speak and may appear tentative and less confident. Dialogue is an often overlooked facilitation tool that enhances learning and makes it possible for everyone to share their ideas and experiences. Dialogue is easy to learn but it takes a bit of practice to be able to use it effectively. What is dialogue? According to the Cambridge online dictionary dialogue is a “conversation that is written for a book, play, or film”. I’m using a somewhat different definition of dialogue in today’s blog post. Dialogue in this sense is a type of group communication that encourages participants to slow down, be in the moment and really listen to what everyone is saying. It is often used in situations where there is conflict or as William Isaacs, author of Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together, describes it, “dialogue is more than just the exchange of words, but rather the embrace of different points of view—literally the art of thinking together”. Here is a list of ground rules that are typically used in a dialogue session: Listen and speak without judgement Acknowledge each speaker Respect differences Suspend your role and status Avoid cross-talk Focus on learning Check your assumptions If you are an introvert and want to change the way your meetings are run so that you can “get a word in edgewise” you might introduce the idea of dialogue and offer to organize the first session. If your company or group already uses dialogue on a regular basis I would appreciate hearing about your experiences. Here are two books that I’ve found useful and I’m sure there are many more resources available on the internet: On Dialogue by David Bohm published in 1996 and Perspectives on Dialogue: Making Talk Developmental for Individuals and Organizations by Nancy M. Dixon also published in 1996. And if you are an introvert you probably have an advantage when it comes to using dialogue because you are wired to slow down and listen before you speak.

What Makes a Dynamic Introvert?

By Lesley TaylorPosted on August 19, 2014Posted in IntrovertsTagged Dynamic Introverts, extroversion, introversion, Judy Curson, The Dynamic Introvert, Yellow Point Lodge1 Comment

Have you ever wondered what makes a dynamic introvert? As I was writing The Dynamic Introvert a lot of people asked me to describe the difference between introverts and extroverts. I was also asked if I could tell the difference between these two personality traits. As other writers have already tried to address this question in their books or on their websites I would like to take a different approach in this post. If I have learned one thing while researching and writing my book it is that we are all different and none of us can be “pigeon holed”. Of course there are introverts who are quiet and reserved. These are the people who prefer their own company to the company of others. But I believe that these introverts may be in the minority. This is due partly to the fact that introversion and extroversion exist on a continuum and that, like many things in life, the majority of us sit somewhere in the middle of the continuum and so we have the ability to shift one way or the other depending on which situation we find ourselves in. So, what makes us dynamic introverts? One of the most brilliant descriptions of a dynamic introvert comes from Judy Curson, a medical doctor in the UK who wrote, “I think many of us are dynamic. We just make less fuss and noise about being dynamic than some extraverts. Our energy and enthusiasm is often hidden from the external world.” Many of us are dynamic in the way that Judy describes but many of us are also very social and dynamic in the same way that extroverts can be dynamic. Words such as gregarious, outgoing, fun, interesting, and energetic could be used in place of dynamic here. These are words that I would use to describe the many dynamic introverts who I know and who could easily be mistaken for extroverts. The difference is that these dynamic introverts need “down time” or time to recharge their batteries. This spring my partner and I spent six days at Yellow Point Lodge on Vancouver Island. Yellow Point Lodge was built in the 1940s and hasn’t changed much over the years, or so I’m told. Guests stay in a variety of rustic cabins. Each cabin sits facing a body of water called The Stuart Channel. There is also accommodation on the second floor of the main lodge. The main floor of the lodge consists of a large communal dining room, kitchen, offices and a great room which has windows on two sides and a massive stone fireplace on the third. This is where people congregate before and after meals and at any time during the day when they are not outdoors enjoying the spectacular scenery. The dining room houses large round tables that seat 9 or 10 people. At each seating we have the opportunity to meet new people and interact with people we have gotten to know over the years. On the surface it appears that the majority of guests are extroverts, due to their outgoing, friendly, behavior. But I know, having stayed at Yellow Point for a number of years that things are not what they seem and in fact many of my fellow guests are in fact dynamic introverts. What is not so obvious, unless one looks for it, and what sets these dynamic introverts apart from their extroverted companions, is that the introverts often disappear throughout the day to recharge. They quietly leave the group and return to their rooms or go for solitary walks in the woods.

Are You A Type A Introvert?

By Lesley TaylorPosted on July 14, 2014Posted in Introverts, LeadershipTagged Blurting, Communication, Dynamic Introverts, Extroverts, Introverts, Leadership, Personality Types, Type A Personality, Type B Personality

Are you a Type A Introvert? Successful leaders are often thought to have Type A personalities. People with Type A personalities are described as being competitive and work obsessed…these people tend to be impatient and talk quickly…which sounds a bit like extroverted behavior. Type B personalities on the other hand are more relaxed, flexible, and laid back Of course, being a Type A personality is not the sole purview of extroverts. In fact, introverts can be just as competitive and work obsessed. We have no problem putting in long hours especially when we are working on something that we are passionate about. Just because we are introverts doesn’t mean we don’t want to get the highest grade in the class or be recognized for being top salesperson of the month. And because we are introverts we have one major advantage over extroverts: we can keep quiet about our how our work is progressing so as not to show our hand. Unlike extroverts who become energized by talking; we have no need to talk about the work we are doing, while we are doing it. However, we are similar to extroverts in that we can easily become impatient when we feel pressured to get something done. This impatience can manifest itself in the form of blurting. We will sit quietly watching the conversation go back and forth, thinking about what we want to say, and then if we are not given the chance to participate we BLURT out what we thinking. Over the years I’ve found myself blurting out my thoughts and ideas while conversing with others. When I finally became aware of what I was doing I tried to stop myself from doing this not realizing that this was due in part to my introversion. Recently I mentioned this to a friend. After giving my concern some consideration she agreed with me that as an introvert she too was “guilty” of blurting. Which leads me to my next question? What exactly is blurting? Just for fun I decided to check in with Google. According to the dictionary blurting means saying something suddenly and without careful consideration. Whoever wrote this definition does not know much about introverts. Introverts tend to blurt, but we do it after carefully considering what we want to say. In fact, we may have been thinking about what we want to say for some time and become frustrated by not having the opportunity to participate in the conversation. Am I a Type A introvert? You be the judge. For most of my adult life I worked full time at a demanding job, juggled my family, friends, and personal life (what personal life?) and attended graduate school…not once but twice. In those days I had a very short fuse and quickly became impatient when I was short on time, which was most days. These days I tend to be more laid back and relaxed, partly because I became aware of my Type A behavior and have worked hard to change it and partly because my life is not so hectic. Here is some additional information about Introversion that you may find interesting: Introversion: Signs, Types, & Misconceptions Anxiety Disorders: Types, Treatments, Symptoms & More

Dynamic Introverts Lead With A Smile

By Lesley TaylorPosted on May 29, 2014Posted in IntrovertsTagged Communication Skills, Dynamic Introverts, Nonverbal Communication, Toastmasters

Dynamic Introverts Lead With A Smile! Have you remembered to smile today? For the more social of us smiling comes naturally but for many introverts we really do have to make an effort to smile and look happy. According to Linda Allen, member of the Enid Speakers Toastmasters Club in Oklahoma, happy, positive leaders motivate others. The challenge for introverts is that even when we are happy and feeling positive we may forget to smile. Through my Toastmaster’s training I have been encouraged to smile more often especially when speaking to groups. It’s not a huge leap for me but I do have to remind myself from time-to-time. Smiles are universal and even when we don’t speak the same language a smile goes a long way toward breaking the ice. I love walking on the trails near my home and find that when I smile at people from other cultures they inevitably smile back…and we have an instant connection. Often when I’m not smiling it is because I am thinking about something or I am distracted but I may come across as being unhappy, uninterested, bored, negative, withdrawn, or unapproachable. I am usually a happy and positive person but if I don’t smile how will people know? Here are some ideas to help you lead with a smile: • Become self-aware. Remember that great leaders are aware of their behavior and how they impact others. • Learn to recognize your behavior when you are with other people. Are you smiling? • Be authentic. If you are having a bad day or your team or organization is experiencing some challenges perhaps smiling will send the wrong message. • Practice smiling. Yes, practice. This is what we learn to do in Toastmasters. We practice until it become second nature…maybe not second nature but at least it comes more naturally. Most of our communication with other people is nonverbal. As dynamic introverts, being aware of how we come across to others is vital to our success as leaders.