Leading as an Introvert
Author: Purvi Shah, MD
Keywords: leadership, introvert, development
Being an introvert is one of my defining characteristics. Those who know me well are aware that I will leave events when they get too “people-y” (but, more often, I am not even present at such events). I need time to digest new information before I can form an opinion. I do not like conflict but I also don’t like getting swept away in others’ enthusiasm. I am, in a word, quiet.
When I was tapped for a leadership role at my organization earlier this year, I felt a small amount of pride and a significant amount of imposter syndrome, but primarily I felt exhausted in anticipation of the people-ing that this new role would entail. When I think of a leader, I think of someone who is an effortlessly eloquent speaker, someone who commands the room (physical or virtual), someone with palpable energy and excitement, and someone who can offer thoughtful reflection no matter the subject. In summary, NOT ME.
But I was chosen as a leader for a reason. So over the past few months, I’ve been working on leading AS an introvert instead of leading “despite” being one, and here’s what I’ve found to be successful:
Know your strengths. This was a theme at the recent WIM Summit. Dr. Kimberly Manning gave out an assignment to reflect on what we do well, what we are proud of, and what we’ve received positive feedback about. Laurie Baedke asked us to name, claim, and aim our superpowers. I am a highly effective communicator who is able to synthesize and articulate complex concepts. It was important for me to realize that this is a skill I have cultivated as an introvert! And I’d argue that introversion itself is a strength; there’s even a whole book about it (Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain).
Get an external perspective. I had the chance to participate in the absolutely transformative WIM Leadership Accelerator over the past six months. Through its 360 evaluation and Hogan assessment, I learned a few things about myself: my introversion may come across as aloofness or dissatisfaction (so now I work to include exclamation points in my communication!), that under stress I may become irritable, stubborn, critical, and reluctant (and I need to share this with the people I work with), and that my ideal work environment is one where I can concentrate and enjoy my quiet time, have structure and predictability, and don’t have to compete for success (I know this isn’t surprising, but seeing it on paper helped me realize that I can and should create this type of atmosphere for myself and my team). I also recognized that I need to continue to hone my communication strength, and was prompted to complete a DiSC assessment after Stacy Wood’s breakout session on communication styles at the WIM Summit.
Fake it ‘til you make it. I had about 4 weeks to transition into my leadership role. During that time, I studied the leaders that I admire and tried to emulate what I appreciated about them and how I saw them sustaining engagement. For example, my boss does a great job of opening each meeting with an explanation of why we’ve come together and ends with a list of next steps and asks if we need to get others involved; I have started doing this as well for the meetings that I run. For meetings that I attend as a participant, I review agendas and slides ahead of time and plan 1-2 points that I want to make; it is easier for me to speak up if I have already decided to do so. At the recent WIM Summit, I made it a goal to interact with people every day, and specifically set out to compliment someone on her talk; this was all very uncomfortable but it was also profoundly rewarding. In the ultimate display of faking it, I gave a well-received talk at a national conference (and repeatedly questioned why I chose to do so until it was complete)! Feigned extroversion is a muscle – it needs regular exercise to get strong and becomes easier to use with practice, but overworking it will cause damage.
Manage your energy. I can tangibly feel my battery getting drained through increasing interactions with others. As a primary care physician, I had to quickly figure out how to manage my reserve in order to care for patients. I review charts ahead of appointments so that my time in the room is efficient but meaningful; this allows me to end appointments a few minutes early and retreat to my office to recharge. I have translated this into my administrative role as well – I am zealous about calendar management; if a day is filling up with back to back meetings, I put in holds for myself to take a break or tend to a task that is uniquely mine. If I feel myself getting sapped, I will turn off my camera for a meeting. I proactively let people know that in a difficult situation, I may not be able to come up with a plan right away but will ensure that we have follow-up scheduled; this allows me time to process in my own way without seeming flaky or indecisive. I tackle tasks in bite-sized pieces, especially those that may lead to more interaction. I have a hype song (“King of Anything” by Sara Bareilles) to get me ready for a challenging situation. And I have learned to say no – this is hard because I don’t want to be seen as unreliable or not a team player, but I am working on a gut check to figure out if something is truly necessary for me to do. I embrace JOMO and don’t worry about FOMO, not just in my personal life but at work as well.
I know it may seem strange for a self-professed introvert to be putting herself out there like this, but that’s exactly why I wrote this piece. My introversion is an innate part of who I am and once I stopped seeing it as a weakness, I began to flourish.
About the author: Purvi K. Shah, MD is a primary care internist and Medical Director, Population Health – Complexity Capture and Post-acute Care at NorthShore University HealthSystem in IL. She is passionate about quality improvement without increasing physician workload. She tweets intermittently and re-tweets often (Twitter: @pjs2780).
