Leadership implies immersive action, clarity of thoughts, the zeal to succeed, and highly effective managerial skills. Alternatively, those who always remain lost in their thoughts (constructive or meaningless) during all of their waking hours cannot deliver the way they are supposed to; instead, they waste their energies and imagination on things, which they could have easily achieved, had they been a little proactive and bold in their actions.
Then again, do you think it is a rule of thumb with no exceptions as such? If you do, you are definitely on the wrong page since some of those proactive souls whom you love to call extroverts fail considerably when it’s time to lead and deliver. Introverts, on the other hand, perform better and lead with conviction in the toughest of conditions imaginable.
As far as you can prove your worth through your actions, it hardly matters whether you are extrovert or an introvert. Extroversion never implies proper and always streamlined channelization of thoughts, dialogs or actions; similarly, one should not consider an introvert as someone who lacks confidence, ideas or the will to act. The history of humankind has several evidences wherein extroverts failed to bring about a substantial change in their or others’ lives. On the other hand, numerous introverts have been more than successful in implementing those ideas to best effect, which those so-called extroverts never dared to imagine or better left to imagination alone.
We have no right to think about introversion as something commonplace or derogatory. Adam McHugh, the celebrated author of ‘Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture’, provides a religious interpretation of these clearly dissimilar yet closely related virtues. In his book, the author opines that even the God understands the power of introversion and accordingly, chooses “the unexpected and the culturally “unfit” – like introverts – to lead his church.” This statement conveys that leadership and success are not the sole prerogatives of extroverts.
If we take some time of our busy schedules to turn the pages of history, we would find mention of several introverts who became outrageously successful leaders. Who can forget the contribution made to humankind by leaders, such as Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Albert Einstein, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who stand as testimony to the fact that introversion is effective to the core?
These people proved that one does not necessarily need to be a vociferous individual to impress others or succeed in his or her respective field of specialization.
In modern times, the world’s most influential leaders or eminent personalities belong to the same clan, i.e. introverts. President Barack Obama proves that introversion and introspection is definitely mightier than extroversion. According to political journalist John Heilemann, Obama is a solitary figure with amazing communicative capacities. Similarly, J K Rowling, the award-winning author of the Harry Potter Series, was so shy and introvert that on one of her journeys from Manchester to London she could not gather the courage to borrow a pen from anyone. Now, she leads the writing arena to a nicety.
In her book titled Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking, introvert expert and writer Susan Cain writes that the Microsoft co-founder and chairman Bill Gates is undeniably an introvert; however, he is not shy at all. According to her, despite being bookish and quiet, Bill Bates does not care much about others’ opinion of him. In a chapter titled Why Did Wall Street Crash And Warren Buffet Prosper? Cain finds Warren Buffet as “a classic example of an introvert taking careful, well-calibrated risk.”
Next, who does not know Emma Watson – The Perks Of Being A Wallflowerstar? In her interview to Rookie Mag, the Hollywood star revealed that she is ‘an extroverted kind of person just by nature’.
Before we conclude, you would be stunned to know that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg belongs to the same category of introverts. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg finds him extremely introverted and shy; nevertheless, if we talk about his commitment, he is the best for sure.
