The Voice of an Introvert

In a world dominated by extroverts

I still remember the time when my mom used to scold me for spending too much time in solitude. I liked being alone in my room with my books rather than go out and meet new people.I got nervous when being introduced to a stranger and petrified when I had to speak in front of a crowd.

Our world glorifies extroversion a lot. The person who can charm an audience with a charismatic personality is often looked upon as a leader and the one who stays within himself is labelled as shy and unworthy to hold important positions. My mother got worried that I would remain behind in this extroverted ideal world where if you do not speak you do not exist. She had seen my father failed so many times in life because of his introvert nature.The teachers considered me shy and my classmates considered me anti social . I was bullied and was labelled as a nerd. My parents tried out different ways to make me come out of my shell. I also begin to think that maybe there is something inherently wrong with me.But as it turned out this was a myth. I recently read a book by Susan Cain , Quiet the power of introverts and that book impacted me a lot. About one half to one third of the population of this world are introverts.I would like to share some of the important points this book raises.

• The first myth that most people believe in is that introverts are anti social. They love solitude and hate the company of others.This is not true. Introverts do like solitude but not always. They also like be to social and outgoing. They hate small talk and like to engage in meaningful conversations. They tend to have a small group of close friends with whom they can share their feelings.

• The second point the book talks about is that introverts also can be great leaders. It supports this by giving the example of Bill Gates who despite being an introvert was able to build a billion dollar company from scratch. Introverts are great listeners.While extroverts can be good at leading passive people, introverts are better at leading proactive people. They listen carefully to the advice to their subordinates and are willing to let go off their ego for the good of the organization.

• The book also talks about how introverts are better than extroverts in creative fields like writing, painting and science. It raises a point that how collaboration can some times kill creativity. Steve Wozniak did not develop the first prototype of a computer working in a team. It was developed by him in his lonely time in the HP office. Einstein worked in solitude for hours to come up with his revolutionary theories. The book breaks the myth that brainstorming an idea in a group leads to better results ,the research done by scientists across the globe totally defy this.

I am a horse for a single harness, not cut out for tandem and team work….for well I know that in order to attain any definite goal, it is imperative that one person do the thinking and commanding — Albert Einstein

• The role of heredity in attaining the extrovert and introvert personalities has also been discussed in details. The research mentioned in this book shows that both nature and nurture play an important role in shaping the personality of an individual.Nurture means a way a person was raised and nature refers to his genetic makeup. This is one of the many things I can relate to. My father and most of the members of my paternal family are introverts while my mother is an extrovert. Thus in part I have inherited my introvert nature.This does not mean that introverts cannot change their inherent nature and be good at things like public speaking and socializing. The role of free will has been explained beautifully in the book which states that introverts can sometimes step out of their comfort zone to make their point. They may not speak vividly about any topic but they can speak about those topics with conviction that really are of interest to them. They can go up and talk to individuals who they really feel can be of value to them.
• Introverts can be really good at assessing risk situations and take careful decisions.Extroverts are more reward sensitive. When extroverts see a huge benefit they can take impulsive decisions that can impact them or their organization. That’s what happened in the Wall Street Crash of 2008. Most of the people at important positions in large investment banks were extroverts who took some rash decisions without carefully analyzing the risks. Warren Buffet, a well known introvert who is known for his intelligent and highly profitable investments could see the crash coming and acted accordingly which saved his firm a lot of money.

The book offers many more compelling examples to show that both introverts and extroverts contribute to the world in their own way. In order to coexist they must start respecting and understanding each other more. Introverts can learn gregariousness, energy and enthusiasm from the extroverts , while extroverts can learn humility, risk aversion and integrity . For me this book has been a revelation. Your perception of world will change after reading this.

Fo far too long those who are naturally quiet have been overlooked. Its time for everyone to listen. It’s time to harness the power of introverts — Susan Cain