The Dynamic Introvert

The Dynamic Introvert

Increase the Quiet

By Lesley TaylorPosted on Posted in IntrovertsTagged , , , , , , , ,

  Increase the Quiet is the name of Diana Krall’s newest album. Diana is one of my favorite jazz musicians. She is a world class jazz pianist and singer and has numerous Grammy and Juno awards to her credit. And she is Canadian! I was intrigued by the title of Diana’s latest album and so decided to reflect on what it would mean if more of us could “increase the quiet” in our lives. I started by thinking about where I currently go when I want some quiet time. Usually I’m alone and more often than not I am outdoors. I live in British Columbia on the wet, west coast. Those of us who live in this part of the world love to complain about the weather, especially about the rain, but we do not want to live anywhere else. One of the things that I love most about the rain is that it amplifies the quiet. The world seems to slow down and become more thoughtful. In comparison when the sun shines the world is energized, noisy, and outwardly focused. Don’t get me wrong. I love the sunshine as much as I love the rain. The other thing about living in B.C. is that there is an abundance of breathtaking places that are peaceful and quiet. Not only do we have some of the most beautiful wilderness in the world but it is easily accessible from anywhere in the province. So, even though I live in Metro Vancouver I can be hiking on the North Shore mountains within 30 minutes of where I live or paddle boarding in English Bay within the same time period of time. What about those of you who live in a big city but don’t have ready access to nature in the same way that I do? You may be surprised at the number of quiet places available to you if you only know where to look. Recently, I came across a unique website created by Charlotte, a freelance blogger and copywriter who is “on a mission to find unusual corners of London away from the crowds.” Charlotte’s website is wonderful and she shares many peaceful places in London where people can go to “switch off”. These can be quiet coffee shops, museums, and gardens. Pretty much any place where one can go to “increase the quiet”. If you live in a big city and are looking for inspiration you’ll find lots more ideas on Charlotte’s website—examples of peaceful places that can be found in big cities around the world.   But what about you? How can you “increase the quiet” in your life?   Cheers! The Dynamic Introvert    

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Introverts Unite: Recognize and Celebrate Your Quiet Strengths

By Lesley TaylorPosted on Posted in IntrovertsTagged , , , , , , , , ,

We all have them–strengths I mean. Unfortunately, introverts, especially those of us working in extroverted work environments may not value our strengths. In fact, we may focus more on our weaknesses, comparing ourselves to our more outgoing and energetic co-workers. It’s no wonder we act this way as we are encouraged from an early age to be more extroverted. This is what author Susan Cain describes as “the extrovert ideal”. She writes, “We live with a value system that I call The Extrovert Ideal—the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight.” Fortunately, in our fast-paced, hyper-active and unfocused world, there is a growing recognition that the strengths that introverts bring to the workplace are vital for the success of both individuals and the organizations that they work in. And as we learn to value our introverted strengths we can be role models for others. But first we may need to identify, develop, value and accept our quiet strengths. Each of us will have our own strengths but I’d like to share a few that I think are worth celebrating: Listening and engaging others which are important leadership skills Staying cool and calm under pressure Thinking first and talking later which usually leads to better decision-making Networking because we tend to listen and develop close relationships with people Sales because we listen and are able to develop relationships with a diverse group of people Conflict resolution…again because we are able to listen and allow space for others to solve their own problems So, how do we go about identifying our strengths? There are many different ways to do this depending on how much time and money we have. The cheapest may be just to ask yourself some questions and reflect on your answers: What energizes you? How can I do more of this? What do you value about who you are and what you do for others? What have you accomplished so far in life and how have you been able to this? And there are some brilliant on-line resources and tools such as the ones available from the Authentic Happiness website at the University of Pennsylvania which offers a free “short strengths survey”. Another way to identify your unique strengths is to ask other people so be prepared to listen to the positive things that people have to say about who you are and what you do best. Cheers!  

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Cultivating Inclusion: Help People Succeed as Themselves!

By Lesley TaylorPosted on Posted in Introverts, LeadershipTagged , , , , , , , ,

  Over the years a considerable amount has been written about creating more diverse workplaces. As I was writing The Dynamic Introvert I became aware of the fact that introverts often feel excluded, especially when it comes to leadership opportunities. Of course introverts are not the only ones who feel this way which begs the question, “how do we create workplaces and schools that are inclusive for everyone?”. Diversity is the NORM but inclusion is not. Not long ago I read an article urging readers to “start building actively inclusive environments”. This makes more sense to me than focusing on, for example, increasing the number of disabled workers, or the number of transgendered people, or the number of introverts in management/leadership positions. According to Meri Williams of Agile People in Sweden, “We must help people succeed as themselves and decrease the impact of failure and the risk of humiliation.” What a brilliant idea! But what would an actively inclusive environment look like??? “An inclusive workplace is one where all differences brought to the workplace are recognized. Where people feel valued and that their contribution is considered important.” Step-up B.C. There always seems to be one marginalized group or another or even whole groups of people who are excluded from participating fully. Diversity programs are not new and are even mandated in some places. Vancity Credit Union’s work inclusion program “aims to increase the number of employees with disabilities in the credit union’s workforce.” Often a person’s disability is obvious but not always. Sometimes we can hide who we really are in order to fit into the existing culture. Gays, lesbians and transgendered people might fit into this category. But pretending to be someone you are not can take its toll: “People perform better when they can be themselves. As much as 40% better. Much energy is spent if you have to hide who you really are or pretend to be something you are not.” Stonewall, How do we create a more inclusive workplace?  Start with a VISION of what that would look like in  your organization. Include everyone in this work. Years ago I attended an OD workshop in which the President of the White Spot Restaurant chain, which, by the way, is one of the most successful restaurants in B.C., talked about how his company had taken 3 years to create its vision and how they had tried to involve as many employees as possible during that time. One of the participants asked him what he would do differently next time around and he said, “He would provide more opportunities for people to be involved in the  process.” Here are a few more things you can do to create a more inclusive workplace: Be a learner. Be willing to challenge yourself and grow. Be inquisitive. Seek a range of perspectives. Model inclusive behaviours. Demonstrate that “none of us is as smart as all of us.” Champion the change effort. Be an active advocate for change. Speak out when necessary. Hold the organization accountable. Hold yourself and your colleagues accountable for all of the above.

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Self-Leadership and Personal Mastery by Lesley Tayor

By Lesley TaylorPosted on Posted in Introverts, LeadershipTagged , , , , , , ,

Self-Leadership and Personal Mastery Peter Senge popularized the concept of “personal mastery” in his classic book The Fifth Discipline. A huge part of personal mastery is the ability to know and develop aspects of one’s personality. It is human nature to want to understand what makes us “tick”: What are we good at? Where are our weaknesses or our areas for growth? What do other people think about us? What does our personality say about us? Self-assessment is a skill that can be learned and doing this work (and sometimes it does feel like work) is a life-long journey in which we take responsibility for our own development. There are many tools and resources that we can use to help us as we seek to learn more about ourselves. The MBTI or Myers Briggs Type Indicator is one such tool. As many of you know the MBTI is used by millions of people around the world and is popular with human resources professionals. A few weeks ago I completed the Myers Briggs Personality Type Indicator certification, something I’d considered doing over the years but never had the opportunity to do until recently. In taking the MBTI training I was surprised to learn that Myers Briggs is more than just the 16 – 4 letter type combinations, e g INTJ or ESFP. And going into the training I have to admit I was rather sceptical. Apart from learning about my own personality type, I was surprised to discover that the MBTI is not a personality test at all and should not be used to predict job fit or leadership potential. The instructor dealt with some of my scepticism by explaining the important difference between personality type and personality traits. She also explained that the MBTI, if used properly, can help us gain insights into the following: Where and how we focus our attention which is related to where we get our energy from How we prefer to take in information How we prefer to make decisions based on that information How we prefer to deal with the external world Knowing and acting on this knowledge can help us to become better leaders. It’s important to recognize that personality traits are different from personality type. Psychologists study and measure what are referred to as the big five personality traits (OCEAN): Openness Conscientiousness Extroversion/Introversion Agreeableness Neuroticism Personality psychologists are able to measure our personality traits and determine how much of a particular trait each of us has and how we compare with other people on these measures. If you are planning to hire someone for a job that requires a large measure of agreeableness, for example, a personality test may help you to determine which of your candidates is the best “fit”. The Myers Briggs Indicator does not measure personality and so cannot assist you in this aspect of your hiring process. I will share some of what I learned about the MBTI in future posts. There are many different personality tests all with their own strengths, weakness and limitations. It’s also important to note that our personalities are partly determined by genetics and partly determined by the environment that we grew up in. We can also influence our personalities by consciously developing our skills and choosing to adapt our behaviors. Despite helping us to better understand ourselves and others, it is important to remember that personality tests are not the answer to everything and should be used accordingly. Cheers! The Dynamic Introvert    

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Are You Questioning the Status Quo

By Lesley TaylorPosted on Posted in Introverts, LeadershipTagged , , , , , , , , ,

Are You Questioning the Status Quo? Perhaps one of the most crucial—and most difficult—aspects of being a leader is the need to continually question the status quo. Most of us don’t like constant change but we risk losing out on opportunities to grow if we refuse to consider alternatives. A few years ago a friend and fellow introvert told me he thought that questioning the status quo was difficult for introverts. Of course he was speaking from his own experience but I too have found myself afraid to speak up when the stakes were high. Looking back I realize that this was situational and that it was most difficult to for me to speak up when I was in in a management meeting and I was competing with other managers. Perhaps my voice was too quiet or I hadn’t yet “found my voice” or my confidence. Perhaps I didn’t feel safe in speaking up against decisions that were being made by people in more senior leadership positions. A recent review of an online thesaurus provided the following synonyms for challenging the status quo: cause trouble, complain, protest, disagree, make waves, etc. If these are the words that are reserved for people who do speak up then it’s no wonder that many of us prefer to keep quiet. Of course there were other situations when it was easier for me to challenge the process—when I was urging my own team to reach higher goals or develop new programs or services or when I was challenging myself to learn something new. I first came across the concept of challenging the status quo or process in The Leadership Challenge written by James Kouzes and Barry Posner. In their book the authors focus on two main areas: searching for opportunities and experimenting and taking risks. It can be risky to speak up but if you are fortunate to work in an organization that recognizes and rewards you for challenging the process your job will be that much easier. Change can evoke feelings of fear or powerlessness. But it is also a fact of life and leaders are in the business of helping people and organizations change successfully. What can we do to prepare ourselves and the people who work in our organizations? Start by preparing yourself. Answer the following questions and then discuss your answers with your boss or with a coach or colleague. STOP & REFLECT Why is challenging the process difficult? Is it more difficult for introverts than for extroverts? When have I challenged the process? Was I successful? What did I learn about myself? In what situations would I find it easy to challenge the process? In what situations would I find it difficult to challenge the process? How can I make it both safe and rewarding for others to speak up and suggest improvements or changes?   Challenging the status quo is one of the most powerful skills that we can learn. I’d like to leave you with a quote from Lolly Daskal who reminds us: “Don’t challenge for challenge’s sake; learn from the experience.”   The Dynamic Introvert!

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How Do Introverts Manage Change?

By Lesley TaylorPosted on Posted in IntrovertsTagged , , , , , , ,

How Do Introverts Manage Change? “What’s preventing you from making change?” was the title of a recent article in the Kelowna Daily Courier. The author, Linda Edgecombe, identified 3 reasons why people don’t succeed at making the changes they want:  Fear Time “I have to think. I need to plan before I make any changes!” Number 3 was the one I identified with most. How about you? If so, perhaps you are an introvert too? Personal change can be difficult but what about organizational change?  Maybe you’ve been told that the plant that you work in is being closed or the company you work for is going out of business. Or perhaps your experience is more like that of a group of scientists in the UK who are all being centralized onto one large research campus –a massive move involving a great many changes both personal and organizational. How do introverts fare with organizational change? In my experience we are likely the ones digging in our heels. Asking endless questions and over analyzing everything. But, organizations would do well to listen to us because we often make better decisions because we “think things through”.  Here’s what author Susan Cain has to say, “Introverts think before they start, digest information thoroughly, stay on task longer, give up less easily, and work more accurately.” The downside for introverts is that we are not likely to embrace change and we certainly aren’t as spontaneous as extroverts tend to be. And at some point we need to let go, get out of our heads and move forward. Here are some suggestions from change guru, William Bridges: Lots of us can feel isolated during changes at work. This can be a challenge for introverts who may not socialize with colleagues at the best of times.  Depending on your comfort level you may need to push yourself to connect with others both inside and outside of work. If you are in a leadership position you will need to communicate frequently and provide updates before, during and after the changes have occurred. As an introvert you may need to push yourself to interact with people who are relying on you for information. When I worked in health care during a time of hospital closures and non-stop organizational change we used “transition teams” to coordinate the work. These teams included representatives from the departments that were being affected plus a number of support staff. If you are planning a change in your organization and considering utilizing a transition team, I recommend that you look for a balance of  personality types to ensure that the best decisions were being made and the organization can move forward when the time is right. Better yet, if you are planning a change in your organization make sure to consider the needs of everyone and consider how each personality type can play a part in making the change a success!   The Dynamic Introvert

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