Shonda Rhimes: Introvert in Power

Jonathan Meharry
Sep 8, 2018 · 2 min read

I didn’t know who Shonda Rhimes was until I heard her at this year’s INBOUND conference. Now she’s my hero.

Shonda Rhimes re-shaped television with the groundbreaking shows Gray’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away with Murder. Then she jolted the TV industry with her 150 million dollar Netflix deal. She’s a black woman in power and a champion for inclusion.

She’s also an introvert.

That’s what captivated me the most. I’m an introvert, and ever since reading Susan Cain’s book Quiet, I’ve embraced her advice to lean into the strengths of my temperament. So I’m excited whenever I see an example of an influential leader who calls themselves an introvert. It gives me someone to look up to.

Rhimes told the story of how she went from writing Gray’s Anatomy in her pajamas, to leading a group of writers at ABC. She was used to being alone with her thoughts and her characters. Now she had to translate the essence of those stories in a way that led to quality execution by a team. It was a hard transition but she did it.

She talked about how she would always say “no” to events or speaking engagements because she struggles with social anxiety. In 2011, Obama appointed her to the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees. When she realized that her first instinct was to say “no”, she decided to start saying “yes” to more things. Shortly after, she gave the commencement address at her alma mater. She said it was terrifying, but she did it. And once she pushed through, it got easier and she actually started enjoying herself.

Introversion is an important aspect of diversity. It’s a common assumption that if someone is an introvert, it’s unlikely they’ll be a high level executive. I don’t believe that’s true. Like any dimension of diversity, it has a lot to do with what we can imagine. And what we can imagine changes when we see people like us in positions of power.

What introverted founders or executives inspire you?

Jonathan Meharry

Written by

Design Manager @hubspot. I love sketching ideas and I go through a lot of paper.

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