Understand the Power of Introverts, Change How You See Yourself

Written by Abraham Chee
First published on The Epoch Times, Singapore

In society today, we cannot deny our unspoken favouritism towards individuals with bold, outspoken and charismatic personality traits – commonly known as extroverts. The terms introversion and extroversion were popularised by psychologist Carl Jung in the early 1920s, and ever since, employed worldwide as the single continuum scale for personality assessments. Extroverts feel energised when socialising while introverts feel recharged in solitude. Extroverts are prone to making rash decisions while introverts carefully consider options. Susan Cain, author of Quiet, says we live with a value system she calls the ‘Extrovert Ideal’ – the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight. Unknowingly, we miss the big picture as we embrace this ‘Extrovert Ideal’ dominating our workplaces as we regard introversion as a second class personality trait. You might find yourself trapped in the ‘Extrovert Ideal’ ideology if you fail to realise the amazing power of introverts.

In fact, introverts tune in to their inner world of ideas, creativity and enlightenment. A workplace research led by Harvard Business School researcher Francesca Gina found extroverts to be more dominant, drove conversations and were less receptive to new ideas. On the contrary, introverts listened to ideas, internalised them and were able to improve team performance. The research paper further elaborated on the secret leadership potential and other powerful abilities of introverts. Introverts are usually very self-aware, quiet amongst large group of unfamiliar faces, observant, take cautious care for details and use controlled body language gestures. To build strong rapport with introverts, do not be overly talkative, slow down your pace and open them up by talking about their interests.

As a special thank you to all our dedicated readers, we are giving away limited copies (courtesy of Penguin Books) of Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller, Quiet – The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain. Susan Cain is an honours graduate of Princeton and Harvard Law School. She lives in the Hudson River Valley with her husband and two sons. Quiet has now been published into more than 30 languages and her 2012 TED Talk has already been viewed over four million times.

In Quiet, Susan Cain shows how the brain chemistry of introverts and extroverts differs, and how society misunderstands and undervalues introverts. She gives introverts the tools to better understand themselves and take full advantage of their strengths – in their work, social lives, and personal relationships. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with real stories, Quiet will permanently change how we see introverts – and how you see yourself. Bill Gates names “The Power of Introverts” as one of his all-time favourite TED Talks and you can visit http://tinyurl.com/75fgpyt to watch Susan Cain.

Some prominent Introverts:
• Inventor of light bulbs – Thomas Edison
• The Theory of Relativity – Albert Einstein
• Facebook – Mark Zuckerberg
• Amazon – Jeff Bezos
• Microsoft – Bill Gates
• Harry Potter – J.K. Rowlings
• Berkshire Hathaway Inc. – Warren Buffet
• Google – Larry Page
• OWN Network – Oprah Winfrey