6 Traits That Can Make Introverts Great Leaders

Allison Murphy
Aug 23, 2017 · 4 min read

If you’re like me — the quiet kid in class who would rather get blood drawn from the same arm twice than raise my hand — you’ve probably lived your entire life being told that because you’re not a “natural leader” you’ll never be one at all. Positions like class president, team captain, etc. are reserved for the loudest voices in the room and not for you. To some extent, this makes sense. Highly visible positions don’t usually appeal to introverts.

But we shouldn’t make the mistake of assuming that introverts are inherently incapable of being good leaders just because typical leadership positions aren’t suited for them. True, they don’t always act the way you might expect a leader to act, but as an introvert who has a habit of forcing herself out of her comfort zone and into leadership positions, I know for a fact that often the traits that lead us to be overlooked for positions of power are the very same traits that can make us amazing leaders.


1. We’re Naturally Humble

Introverted leaders know full-well their own strengths and weaknesses; we know our limits and we know when to admit fault and/or ask others for help. This sense of selflessness and honesty in a leader goes a long way to inspire those working around him/her. It also means they’re are good at delegating. For the introvert, being a leader is rarely about boosting their own ego. To me, leadership positions have always served as a validation of my work. Because someone put their faith in me to lead, I work even harder to to prove my value.

2. We’re Always Working to Be Better

Speaking of working hard to prove themselves, introverts also tend to be really into self-improvement. This stems from two critical weaknesses— introverts take criticism very personally and have a hard time understanding their worth. Because we don’t thrive on social validation, professional and/or intellectual validation is crucial to an introvert’s sense of confidence. But as long as introverts recognize these weaknesses, they can be used to their advantage. Compared to their peers, the additional time spent considering feedback allows introverts to be very deliberate about areas of improvement. When people see a leader working to improve him/herself, the sense of reflection and motivation trickles down.

3. We’re Reflective and Deliberate

I hate participating in class. I pretty much avoid it at all costs. I can’t speak for all introverts but my reason for avoiding it as much as I do isn’t because I’m terrified of speaking in front of my classmates. It’s usually because I don’t have an answer to the question right away — I’m too deep in thought to comment about the lecture so soon. I don’t process the information I’m learning immediately and if I do, I seldom have my thoughts together enough to form a coherent sentence right off the bat. My silence in class isn’t because I have no thoughts on the topic, it’s usually because I have too many.

To be a successful leader, introverts might have to overcome a fear of public speaking. But once they do — and yes, it’s possible! — they become some of the most powerful voices in the room. Are they speaking all the time? No. But what they are saying is often well-thought out and deliberately considered. An added plus? The introvert’s sense of reflection makes impulsive decisions and/or outbursts highly unlikely when in high-ranking position.

4. We Recognize Others

This is one of the best qualities of an introverted leader. Because introverts are naturally humble, they often recognize the strengths of those around them just as much (if not more) than their own. More importantly, because they’re used to being outshined, they have a knack for recognizing the work of absolutely everyone around them — especially the ones who might otherwise be overlooked.

5. We’re Used to Being Different

When it comes to social situations, introverts are used to being the black sheep. They’re so accustomed to leaving the party early — or not going at all!— that they don’t think twice about being the odd one out in other situations too. This quality makes introverted leaders very comfortable with pursuing ideas or risks that might conventionally be viewed as different.

6. We Know All About Balance

Being a leader isn’t easy for anyone. It involves loads of responsibility, work, and focus. For introverts, it can also involve pretending you’re more extroverted than you are for most of the day. This is exhausting work at times but thankfully introverts are quite used to recharging their batteries after socially draining situations. This gives introverts an advantage in terms of having an enjoyable work-life balance. It doesn’t take a horde of Huffington Post articles about self-care to prove it’s worth to introverts. They already know!


PS — Being an introvert and having these qualities is NOT mutually exclusive! I know many extroverts who poses some or all of these traits. This article is simply meant to tap into the built-in qualities of introverts in order to inspire more to take on leadership positions.

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