Extrovert vs Introvert Leadership

First things that come to mind to most of us when we think of leadership #personality are solid people skill, gregariousness, electrifying speeches, life of the party, etc., and that quite leadership is an oxymoron. It’s only natural that we require these traits from a good leader as our society #leans toward extroverted ideals. We strive to be the Steve Jobs or the Martin Luther King, Jr of the world and less like Steve Wozniak or Rosa Parks, though the latter are just as exceptional, if not more, than the former.

A research from a management professor at Wharton who consulted Fortune 500 executives and military leaders, Adam Grant, dug deeper into the correlation between extroversion and leadership, and found that the existing research failed to differentiate among situations what leaders might face. Grant noticed that the studies focused more on what our perception of a good leader–rooting from our societal ideals–rather than the actual result. Grant believes that certain organization or context calls for an introverted leadership rather than an extroverted approach.

His hypothesis was that extroverted leaders are better suited to lead passive followers, and introverted leaders are more effective with proactive team. “Introverts are uniquely good at leading initiative-takers. Because of their inclination to listen to others and lack of interest in dominating social situations”, says Adam Grant, “. . . Having benefited from the talents of their followers, they are likely to motivate them to be even more proactive.” On the other hand, extroverts “can be so intent on putting their own stamp on events that they risk losing others’ good ideas along the way and allowing [followers] to lapse into passivity¹”, wrote Susan Cain. However, extrovert’s natural ability to inspire are more effective on getting things done form passive followers.

In conclusion, Grant’s research suggest that introverted leaders are better off sticking to what they do naturally and should not be construed as anything less of a what we think a leader should be. In contrast, extroverts “may wish to adopt a more reserved, quiet style,” as Grant stated, and should learn to listen more to give the quite-oriented the chance to speak at their speed.