Unleash the Power of Your Team

 

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain (2012) is a book that has become a bit of a touchstone for me, especially in my current consulting work as I work with clients on how best to build high performing teams. I wonder too, right now, as many professionals are increasingly working from home, how introverts are doing and how they are contributing to a world which has become both more quiet and increasingly noisy!

As I speak to friends and colleagues who identify as introverts and who are now part of regular Zoom meetings, it seems that for many of them their initial feeling was that they might thrive during this time—fewer physical interactions and the ability to schedule their own time for starters. Law professor, Heidi K. Brown interviewed in March 2020 in Psychology Today outlined similar beliefs: introverts are great at working independently, problem-solving and articulating ideas in writing. Brown thought that introverts’ strengths might come through in particular as they found themselves in environments “that minimize overstimulation, noise and disruptions” and perhaps even places where the depth of their ideas might come through more easily. In point of fact, however, this time has apparently not proven easy for introverts, and their strengths within a team of colleagues is not being fully realized. For example, in former times home was a retreat for them, a place to re-charge their batteries so that they were able to give more to their work, and now, in fact, it has become the office, the gym and the social hangout via Zoom! Less alone time means that introverts are not finding their usual ways to regain their energy and thus they struggle to contribute at the highest level.

Obviously most working teams or committees are composed of extroverts and introverts—I would argue you need that combination to make problem-solving and the generation of ideas successful. In typical meetings, extroverts will often find it easier to contribute, to speak up, and process their thinking out loud; this approach is not in the wheelhouse of more introverted team members. With more on-line video meetings as part of the normal workday, there is significant pressure and need for leaders to step forward and manage team interactions, in order to ensure that each member is fully functioning in the interest of the success of the organization. Deliberately employing explicit structures and guidelines, that employees become used to over time, will set the stage for better productivity and involvement. Renee Cullinan offers some helpful guidance in Harvard Business Review, April 2016; she suggests the following actions so as to allow for everyone to be included: share the purpose of the meeting ahead of time; provide relevant data for pre-reading and list possible discussion questions. Post-meeting, distribute a summary of the meeting and ask for ideas and new insights that may have occurred since the meeting. Cullinan’s advice, written pre-Pandemic, is actually for all meetings (in-person and on-line), and refers in fact to all kinds of contributors, introvert and extrovert. That’s the beauty of her advice: by introducing structures that work for everyone, everyone benefits. The value to the team of people working together, and thus the organization, is enormous.

And back to Cain’s excellent book, which is absolutely worth a read: her narrative spoke to me immediately, introvert that I am. One of her early examples illustrates brilliantly the “power of quiet” and the strength of effective partnerships. In the introductory section she describes Rosa Parks and her ‘lonely act of courage’ when she refused to move from the front of the bus to give up her seat to a white passenger. Her single word ‘No’ sparked a revolution, a city-wide bus boycott that lasted 381 days. Montgomery, Alabama, 1955. As we know, these actions changed the course of American history. What I did not realize fully was how quiet and unassuming Rosa Parks was—and nor did Susan Cain, who characterizes Rosa Parks as an introvert who slowly but surely planned this brilliant act that changed the world. In addition, Cain describes the powerful partnership between Parks and Dr. King, an extrovert. These two coming together created the perfect partnership that inspired passion and action among civil rights activists in the 1950s. Alone they might not have succeeded, together they did. The success of their partnership provides lessons for us all in the workplace and in our lives.

Unleashing the power of, and paying attention to, all colleagues—introverts and extroverts—will help build high performance within your organization. This vital form of talent management unleashes the individual and collective potential that lies hidden within your existing workforce, and it is rewarding work for leaders who want to build stronger, more fully-functional teams.

 

 

 




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