How to Create an Environment Where Everyone Can Thrive
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Short Personality Test
- assertive
- talkative
- bold
- not reserved
- energetic
Next to each word rate on a scale of 1 to five of how much that it applies to you. 1 being not at all and 5 being very much so.
Now add up your score and what is your total?
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According to Gino (2015), if you score 10 points - you are likely to have an introverted personality.
- Introverts make up from 1/3 to 1/2 of the population (Gino 2015).
- Most workplaces are set up exclusively with extroverts in mind
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Extroverts are often characterized by (Gino 2015):
- Gravitate towards groups and constant action
- tend to think out loud
- they are energized and recharged by external stimuli such as personal interactions, social gatherings, and shared ideas
- being around other people gives them energy.
- Team leaders who are extroverts can be highly effective leaders when the members of their team are dutiful followers looking for guidance from above
- Extroverts bring the vision, assertiveness, energy, and networks necessary to give them direction.
- Extroverted leaders are likely to feel threatened when the team members are proactive and take the initiative to introduce changes, champion new visions, and promote better strategies
- Extroverted leadership may drive higher performance when employees are passive
- Extroverted leadership may drive lower performance when employees are proactive
Introverts are often characterized by (Gino 2015):
- usually dislike noise, interruptions, and group settings
- they tend to prefer quiet solitude, time to think before speaking or acting, and building relationships and trust one-on-one
- they recharge with reflection and deep dives into their inner landscape to research ideas and focus deeply at work.
- introverted leaders are better when the team members are proactive and take the initiative to introduce changes, champion the new vision, and promote better strategies
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Dominance complementarity
- The tendency of groups to be more cohesive and effective when they have a balance of dominant and submissive members (Gino 2015).
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Adam Grant of Wharton and Dave Hofman of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studied a US pizza delivery chain.
- They compared the profitability of 57 stores
- assessed each store leader's levels of extraversion
- how assertive, talkative, bold, and energetic he or she was
- Then for the following 7 weeks, they tracked each store's profits
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Their Results
- Extroverted leadership was linked to significantly higher profits than those led by introverts
- 16 percent higher
- Extroverted leadership was linked to lower profits when the employees were more proactive.
- 14 percent lower
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Discussion of Results
- Introverts can use their strengths to bring out the best in others.
- Introverts' strengths are often locked up because of the way work is structured.
- In a work culture where the typical meeting is loud and talkative, where the workplace is open and desks are practically touching, and where there are high levels of confidence, charisma, and sociability - Introverts often have to adjust who they are just to pass or fit in but they do so at a price to themselves and to the company.
According to Gino (2015) here is how to get the best out of introverts through such meetings:
- At Amazon, every meeting starts in total silence.
- Before anyone can say anything everyone must quietly read a six-page memo about the meeting's agenda for 20 to 30 minutes
- After reading the memos, the group can then focus on reaching shared understandings, dig into data and insights, and have a meaningful debate.
- This process of reading time gives the introverts time to process and formulate their thoughts, and for some to build up the courage to share with the rest of the team.
- It often encourages extroverts to listen and reflect and open up to the perspectives of their more silent peers.
According to Gino (2015), the" real magic" is in the writing of the memos:
- The six-page memos are referred to as narratives and they tell a story they have a conflict to resolve and should conclude with solutions, innovation, and happy customers and this structure provides the meeting with structure.
- The writing forces the memo authors to reason through what they want to present, spend time puzzling through tough questions, and formulate clear, if not persuasive arguments.
- Some companies are even banning PowerPoint.
- These memos level the playing field for introverts in an extroverted office meeting session
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References
Gino, F. (2015). Introverts, Extroverts, and the Complexities of Team Dynamics. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2–5.
