What do Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Warren Buffett have in common? Aside from being mega-prosperous entrepreneurs, they’re all self-professed introverts - and they’re far from alone at the top.
Despite the fact that many of us have come to view successful business leaders as outgoing, high-social-energy types, that impression is mostly a myth. When you actually look at the some of the greatest entrepreneurs of our time, you’ll discover that many introverts are right there among them.
So what’s behind the misconception that you have less chance of succeeding as an introverted entrepreneur than you do if you’re socially adept? The fact that so many extroverts end up in positions of power is largely responsible.
People who thrive in collaborative, social environments are not only drawn to leadership positions, they tend to be selected for those roles more often than their introverted counterparts. But there’s little evidence to suggest that extroverts do a better job of managing others once they’re in the position to do so – and the opposite is true in many cases.
Here are just a few of the unique advantages that introverted leaders bring to the table:
It would be inaccurate to claim that just because introverts have a great deal to offer, that they don’t also face some distinct business challenges. Many introverted individuals struggle as entrepreneurs. And this is true regardless of the fact that the breakdown of what a successful entrepreneur looks like makes no mention of personality traits.
It does, however, bring up a few key points that are worth taking note of:
Should we be concerned as business owners if our low-key behavior seems incompatible with such outward-facing goals? That all depends on your perspective.
We often perceive risk-taking as being synonymous with extroversion. That may be true for introverts who define risk as speaking in front of a crowd, but the true definition of risk-taking in business has more to do with:
If you’re an established business owner, odds are you take these risks every day.
And while there’s no question that a little charisma – an attribute shared by many extroverts – goes a long way when it comes to making connections and motivating employees, all is not lost if you’re more the reflective type.
An outgoing nature may make it easier to attend networking events, meet potential business mentors - even to address your management team – but there are workarounds for situations like these.
Bill Gates, for example, claims to have purposely hired extroverts so he could learn from them. Mark Zuckerberg says he surrounds himself with outgoing team leaders who complement his quieter strengths. And Elon Musk made a dedicated effort to learn how to wield personal power through communication and socialization.
Introversion doesn’t dictate your behavior – and it certainly doesn’t have to be a detriment in terms of achieving greater success with your business. Being an introverted entrepreneur simply means you have an exclusive set of skills and a unique disposition that should be taken into account as you build your business and assemble your team.
You can be an introvert and still be a confident decision-maker and creative problem-solver. At the end of the day, it’s your innate persistence, your perpetual drive to learn, and your ability to buckle down and focus that will get you where you really want to go.
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