Introverts and extraverts: How to cooperate better together
Far from being respectively a virtue and a fault, extraversion and introversion are two personality poles that both have their assets and limits. How can we turn these differences into a key to collective performance?
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg: these pairs are famous for their remarkable results… and for their remarkably different personalities! Steve Jobs managed Apple, Mark Zuckerberg manages Facebook. Steve Jobs and Sheryl Sandberg tend to be extraverts. They enjoy addressing an audience, being visible; they seek encounters and action. Steve Wozniak and Mark Zuckerberg are more introverted. By their own admission, they never found their best ideas during meetings or discussions, but rather during long solitary work sessions. They prefer to make cautious progress and avoid outside bustle.
These behavioral differences are widespread. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Carl Gustav Jung showed that individuals can be categorized according to a lesser or greater tendency towards introversion or extraversion, each category accounting for about half of the population. Extraverts derive their energy from the outside world, and spontaneously turn towards others and action. On the contrary, introverts derive their strength from their inner world and are primarily attentive to thoughts and emotions.
In today’s world, we tend to rate extraverted behavior types more highly. We often consider that leaders must be energetic, self-confident and socialize easily. Even for lower positions, extraverted personalities generally find it easier to get a job and be promoted. However, a study by Adam Grant, a professor at Wharton, shows there is very little correlation between personality type and the achievement of leaders.
In fact, we all need to rely on both extravert and introvert traits in our professional lives. We must both listen and talk, think and act, motivate our teams and analyze our projects, etc. Our different personality traits vary according to the circumstances. These complementary profiles are thus naturally beneficial, provided you can get such radically different personalities to collaborate together.
In this synopsis:
- Introvert or extravert: Capitalize on your personality
- Taking advantage of the complementary nature of introverts and extraverts
- Managing teams with both introverts and extraverts
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