Managing as an Introvert
A follow-up to Introverted Leadership
A few years ago, I started managing an engineering team. As anyone who is new to a position does, I desperately sought out tried and true tips, tricks, and advice. After doing things based on other people’s experience for a little while, I realized I’d have to modify the way I manage to fit who I am as a person. Specifically, I needed to find ways to manage that were sustainable for me as an introvert.
Here are a few of my tips and tricks that allow me to manage in a way that’s sustainable for me:
Work from home
When I moved into management and started spending a lot of my days in meetings, I noticed I would leave feeling incredibly drained at the end of the day. To combat this, I started working from home in the morning and coming in at lunch a few days a week, or working from home for a full day when I didn’t have anything that required me to be in the office.
I now work on a completely remote team (h/t Wirecutter) and have noticed a huge difference in my energy levels. A day of meetings is still draining, but spending my day at home leaves me much more energy to do things in the evenings (like attend meet-ups and other events).
Spread 1:1s with direct reports over multiple days
When I first became a manager, I loaded all my 1:1s onto a single day of the week. While I really enjoyed spending time with everyone on my team, I discovered that I wasn’t able to be really present for people who had 1:1s with me later in my 1:1 day. I started splitting my 1:1s over a couple of days, and noticed a huge difference in my ability to give everyone the time and energy they deserved.
At a conference? Take a breather
I really enjoy conferences, but talk about draining. If I’m at a conference for an entire day or for several days, I’ll take moments to step outside, go for a walk, go back to my hotel room, or otherwise take a breather.
Note: I used to use the women’s restroom to take a breather at tech conferences — there was never anyone in there. I’m very happy that this is no longer true — I’ll happily find a new quiet place in exchange for a more diverse crowd.
At work? Take a breather
When I worked in an office full time, I’d sometimes take moments to myself to recharge. I’d go for a walk, find a quiet conference room, or just put in headphones and turn music up for a few minutes. Those moments to reset helped me be more present in the rest of my day.
Leverage asynchronous communication
Since face-to-face communication is more draining for me, I’ll often leverage other methods to communicate my ideas (for example: docs, info decks, and emails). I’ll also try and get any relevant information in advance of a face-to-face interaction, so I have time to digest and prepare my thoughts. Finally, I’ll sometimes follow up an in-person meeting with a written response once I’ve had time to fully digest and collect my thoughts.
