To the extent that introvert and extrovert, as unfalsifiable subjective descriptions, really mean anything anyway, it has nothing to do with listening to people speak.<p>Listening is simply a conversational skill and has nothing to do with meyers-briggs personality type. Some people are naturally better at listening and others aren't. Some people practice and gain skill others do not.
Summary: Introverts make great problem-solvers because they listen more than they talk. When introverts are able to vocalize or communicate their efficient problem-solving techniques, they become leaders. A frequent problem that many introverts have is that all the talkers/extroverts in the room never give them a chance to properly vocalize their thoughts. The Internet changed the dynamics a little bit, because introverts are now able to "speak" without waiting for humdrum lulls in conversation.<p><i>... the most powerful person in the room is often the most quiet</i><p>Another problem is that extroverts sometimes take credit for the "thoughts" of introverts (those that have been written before spoken).
The article mostly just reiterates the strengths of introverts, which you can get from reading about Meyers/Briggs personality types or similar sources. What would have been more interesting would be a comparison of the leadership styles of introverts vs. extroverts: my hunch is that introverts provide deeper strategic leadership, but are not as good at things like bolstering morale. But if anyone has links on this, I'd love to see them. As an introvert who is often frustrated by the strategic thinking of his own organization, I find the subject interesting.
Even as an introvert, I think that extroverts can sometimes come to the same well-planned decisions through more of a conversational process, deliberating out loud and with the help of others.<p>But the title and point of the article are simply why introverts <i>can</i> make good leaders, not necessarily why extroverts aren't just as good.
What's perfectly whole seems flawed,<p>but you can use it forever.<p>What's perfectly full seems empty,<p>but you can't use it up.<p>True straightness looks crooked.<p>Great skill looks clumsy.<p>Real eloquence seems to stammer.<p>To be comfortable in the cold, keep moving;<p>to be comfortable in the heat, keep still;<p>to be comfortable in the world, stay calm and clear.<p>-- Tao Te Ching
"They also use their calm, quiet demeanors to be heard amid all the organizational noise and chatter. (One thoughtful, reasoned comment in a meeting can move a group forward by leaps and bounds.)"<p>I've noticed that this is my greatest strength as an introvert. I tend to not say that much in meetings, but when I do, people listen. It's gotten to the point where I rarely have to talk over people.
Much of the narrative of this article seems to be predicated on the implicit suggestion that introverts are about substance, deep thoughts, abstraction, careful consideration, aforethought, judiciousness and balance, and extroverts mostly about superficial banter and infantile thumb-sucking that passes for discussion or decisionmaking.<p>To say the very least that could possibly be said, I think there is zero of the envisaged correlation here.
I think introverts are best leaders only in certain leadership roles. Leadership roles that require technical and deep thinking seem to better fit introverts. While leadership roles that are more people facing are better suited for extroverts.<p>Bill Gates's introvertness and leadership of driving the technical direction of Microsoft, while Steve Ballmer's extrovertness of being the sales guy.
Is there a good test for being introvert or extrovert? I have always imagined that an extrovert just has a better ability and finds it easier to express his/her emotions.<p>However, the Wikipedia definition sounds more like a description of egoist/altruist:<p>Introversion is <i>"the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life"</i>.<p>Extraversion is <i>"the act, state, or habit of being predominantly concerned with and obtaining gratification from what is outside the self"</i>
I don't buy this. At work I used to have tons of problems with people that communicates little. The ability to communicate <i>fast</i> and the ability to use the right words to make clear what you mean is vital.<p>Also instead to do useless work because you can't just tell in five seconds if this is going to be OK sucks. A lot of wasted work. I think that the ability to communicate well is very important IMHO, and it's unrelated to being introverts or extroverts as far as I can tell.
<i>It has been reported that a full 40% of executives describe themselves as introverts... </i> Doesn't this disprove the claim that introverts are best leaders? What metric of best are we using and where's the hard data?