Introverts Arise

Ever visit a different country and find yourself wishing theAmericans you run into were less boisterous? Do you want them to tone it downwhen they guffaw in the subways or talk louder than everyone else in the room? Noteverybody values “outgoing and friendly” as much as Americans. Sometimes thevery extroversion we view as an asset in the West looks like arrogance orsocially inept behavior in the East.

So it turns out it's not just the East that feels that way. 

A few years ago a book by introvert Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, hitthe stands, and people have been talking about it ever since. I heard about it from my introverted "daughter-in-law," Karla, who drew on it in her master's thesis about the ideal size of small groups for producing true life change. She concluded that big groups were fine for extroverts, but introverts wouldn't compete. So smaller is better: "Where two or more are gathered…" 

In Quiet, Cain challenges our cultof extroversion. She argues that we tend to undervalue introverts—from nursery school to Harvard Business. And she showshow much we lose in doing so. Money, relationships, time, resources. In her work she interviews introverts andprovides the kind of thorough research introverts are known for.  Why should we make it harder for our innovators and our team-workers, or discount the personality of some of the world's most devoted friends?

When asked, “Why did you write the book?” Cain said “For the same reason that Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique in 1963.Introverts are to extroverts what women were to men at that time—second-classcitizens with gigantic amounts of untapped talent. Our schools, workplaces, andreligious institutions are designed for extroverts, and many introverts believethat there is something wrong with them and that they should try to ‘pass’ asextroverts. The bias against introversion leads to a colossal waste of talent,energy, and, ultimately, happiness.”

Whether you’re an introvert or love one, this book will openyour eyes to how we can do a better job of listening to and learning from theone-third of the population that are more energized by tasks than people. Quiet is an especially good leadership-development resource. A friend highly recommended the audio version, which has not disappointed.