Introverts taking center stage

Life begets life. Energy begets energy. It is only by spending oneself wisely that one becomes rich in life - Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt was an introvert. I am an introvert. Now, you are undoubtedly wondering why that's even relevant. Let me tell you.

Most studies suggest that thirty percent of people are introverts but the number is probably closer to fifty percent. About ten percent of leaders within public service organizations, senior civil service personnel, and CEO’s in healthcare are introverts. Perhaps the time has come for introverts to be accepted for who they are in society instead of promoting the ' Extrovert Ideal'. [1]

Introverts are defined as people who draw energy from their internal world of ideas, emotions, and impressions. [2] Because their internal world is so richly complex, they tend to be easily overstimulated by the external world. In contrast, extroverts draw energy from the external world, so what they would consider an average day would be akin to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and back for the introvert. The simplest way to put this is that introverts are like a rechargeable battery; they expend energy but need to stop to rest and recharge. Extroverts are like solar panels that will expend energy as long as the sun is there but put them under cloud cover, especially that of a grey cloud where they are left to themselves and they splutter and choke. This may resonate with those who are interested in Carl Jung’s theories or have familiarized themselves with the Myers Briggs personality typology. [3]

OK, you've been given the elegance of the proverb the proof of the definition and the activity of the psychometric tests. Still, why is this important? Let me paint you a picture. I attended a teaching course. It was one of the better courses I attended in a while. It covered the theoretical aspects of learning, structuring presentations, dealing with different and difficult learners. However, it left me completely exhausted to the point where I could no longer speak for fear of expending the last 'bar' of energy that would get me home. Why is that you ask? The course was designed to 'include' everyone from the word 'go'. There were competitions quizzes, umpteen group scenarios, lots of highly unnecessary running back and forth around the room and some degree of being put on the spot.

I'm sure some of you reading this are thinking ' that sounds great' and ' exactly what a course should be like'. Wrong, because all the introverts reading this, are at this very moment, cringing deeply. While my example highlights a particular method of teaching, all the activities mentioned, barring the theoretical aspect of learning, are geared toward the extrovert. Other than the handouts of the lectures, that I clutched to for dear life, I felt myself drowning in a cacophony of light, sound, and at the expense of alienating the entirety of mankind...people.

So, does this mean that all courses should be more like a yoga retreat? No, although not a bad idea, not at all. What this serves to do is highlight the underlying problem faced by the majority of introverts around the western world.

The reason for telling this story is that in a world where leadership is mistakenly thought of as the ' great man' (loud, outspoken, confident, decisive and just oozing charisma) there are a group of quiet others who have been pushed to the sidelines. Those are the introvert’s whose natural skills are critical thinking allowing them to explore all facets of an idea or theory, listening actively which makes them good negotiators, being passionate about their causes making them focused and using a determined commitment to reach their goals without fanfare. Do these strike anyone as qualities of a transformational leader?

Would it surprise anyone that lots of transformative leaders have been introverts? For example Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Bill Gates, and Nelson Mandela to mention a few

So, if there is all this untapped potential floating around out there, what are we doing to harness it? Are introverts being taught in ways appropriate for them? Let me tell you from my lifelong sufferance of extrovert learning activities, no. Are they being involved to make their voices heard? Without taking away from those introverts who have seized opportunities that came their way, I’m going to go with no.

Well, I’ve brought you now to the end of this article. All I wanted to do was bring to the forefront an issue, which goes one step beyond the introvert-extrovert leadership debate, which is grooming the future leaders of tomorrow. I’d like to leave you with one question that you take away from this: Has anyone considered how to engage the introverted among us, to make them shine, when perhaps their distinctive difference could contribute positively to the current maelstrom that is the NHS?

[1]Susan Cain, Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking (New York: Crown, 2012)

[2]Marti Olson Laney, The Introvert Advantage: How to thrive in an extrovert world (New York: Workman, 2002)

[3]www.myerbriggs.org

Please note that I have no vested interests to declare other than the fact that I am an introvert and interested in better engaging introverts.

My name is Samreen Channa.  I was an acute medicine trainee with the Wessex deanery until recently. I am presently taking time out to pursue my Masters in Medical Leadership. I joined FMLM to be at the forefront of leadership news and views as well as build my own understanding of the dynamics of leadership in organizational cultures that proves successful and why. I am keenly interested in women doctors in leadership roles as well as introverted leaders. I am hoping to take on more leadership roles with the newly acquired skillset provided by my degree. Outside of work, as an introvert, I enjoy baking, reading and attempting to play my guitar.