ינהאַלט
Among the top managers of Silicon Valley, there are significantly more introverts than extroverts. How does it happen that people who avoid communication succeed? Carl Moore, the author of leadership development trainings, believes that introverts, like no one else, know how to make useful contacts.
As you know, connections are everything. And in the business world, you can’t do without useful acquaintances. This is both the necessary information and help in a difficult situation. The ability to make connections is a necessary quality for business.
Rajeev Behira has been working in Silicon Valley for the past 7 years, leading marketers at various startups. He now leads a startup that has developed the Reflective software, which allows company employees to give and receive real-time feedback on a continuous basis. Like most top managers in Silicon Valley, Rajiv is an introvert, but he can teach how not only to keep up with sociable and active extroverts, but also to surpass them in the number of business acquaintances. Three of his tips.
1. Focus on face-to-face communication with your manager
Extroverts, who are naturally sociable, are always ready to discuss their current work, goals and progress made with ease. They talk about it easily and openly, so managers usually know very well how productive they are. Silent introverts may seem less productive in comparison.
Introverts’ ability to communicate deeply helps them form friendships with partners faster.
Rajiv Behira invites introverts to use their strengths — these include, for example, the tendency to discuss problems in more depth, delving into details. Try to talk to your manager one-on-one for at least 5 minutes every day, telling you how the work is going. This not only allows you to convey your ideas to management, but also helps to build strong relationships with your immediate superiors.
Since it is often easier for introverts to talk one-on-one than to speak in front of colleagues, this tactic will help them become more “visible” to their managers.
“During communication, the main thing is to actively share valuable thoughts and clearly communicate what work you are doing. Build a personal relationship with your manager outside of group meetings.»
2. Focus on quality over quantity
Group meetings — conferences, congresses, symposiums, exhibitions — are an indispensable part of business life. And for many introverts, it seems heavy and uncomfortable. During group communication, an extrovert quickly moves from one person to another, communicating with each for a relatively short time, and introverts tend to have long conversations with a relatively small number of people.
Such long conversations can be the beginning of friendships (and business) relationships that will last for more than one year. An extrovert will return from a conference with a thick stack of business cards, but after a brief and superficial communication, at best, he will exchange a couple of emails with new acquaintances, and they will forget about each other.
Introverts are often asked for advice, because they know how to synthesize information.
Similarly, introverts develop and maintain close relationships within the company. When an employee reaches a certain level in the hierarchy of an organization, he becomes part of a small team of closest colleagues.
But despite this, it is useful to maintain relationships with employees working in other sectors and departments. This is how introverts ensure that they are well known inside the company, maybe not all employees, but those with whom personal contact is established, know them really closely.
3. Synthesize information
It is always helpful if the boss has an additional source of information. For Rajiv Behira, colleagues with whom he has built a good personal relationship have become such a source. At meetings in their working groups, these employees synthesized information and conveyed the most important to him.
One of the strengths of introverts is their ability to process large amounts of information. At meetings, instead of talking a lot, they listen carefully and then retell the most important things to their manager. Due to this skill, they are often especially insightful, so they are often turned to for advice and involve them in the process as much as possible.
Introverts deserve to have their opinions heard and taken into account.