"A wise man once said nothing..."

There is an old proverb that goes, "A wise man once said nothing."  The political activist and writer Anne Lamott said, "Lighthouses don't go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining."  Contrary to popular notions of leadership, whether someone is an extrovert or introvert doesn't determine one's ability to lead.  For anyone who has doubts, I would point them to Susan Cain's 2013 book  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.  I have mentioned this book a few times in the past (see Have you heard about the lemon juice test?).

I've talked about the fact that I was a shy kid in previous posts.  I used to hate being called out in class.  I hated it so much that when I was in first grade, I refused to read out loud in small reading groups.  One of my teachers thought that I couldn't read and placed me in the lowest reading group (see my post "Don't pigeon hole me!").  One day, a new teacher came in and figured out that I was just shy.  She encouraged me in the right way, and I moved to the top reading class very quickly (basically, she figured out that I could read very well, and I moved from group-to-group to the top reading group by the end of the day).  

I will admit that this story provides a great example of how shyness adversely impacted my learning and development.  In other words, someone who is so shy that they don't want to be acknowledged publically or can't speak in front of a group is never going to do well in a leadership position.  That's not my point.  Susan Cain would argue that shyness and introversion aren't necessarily the same thing.  They can certainly co-exist, though whereas shyness is inherently uncomfortable (remember - I "hated" being reading out loud), introversion is not.  Introverts tend to prefer a more quiet, minimally stimulating environment.  They may even prefer to spend their free time reading a book instead of going out to dinner with a large group - this doesn't make them anti-social.  

My point is that most introverts - even the ones who were shy at one point - can function perfectly well in positions of leadership.  Cain lists a number of notable individuals who she describes as introverts - including Abraham Lincoln (arguably one of our country's greatest Presidents), Rosa Parks (whose actions started the Civil Rights movement), and Barack Obama, among many others.  Would you believe that David Letterman and Barbara Walters are introverts?  How about the entrepreneurs, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Warren Buffett, and Larry Page?  All of these individuals have two things in common - they are all introverts and they have all been extremely successful in their professional lives.

If you happen to be an introvert - you are not alone!  More importantly, there is no reason why you, as an introvert, can't develop into a great leader!  Some times, silence speaks volumes.  As the ancient Greek philosopher Plato said, "Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something."  So when the introverts speak, be sure to listen!