Monday, October 10, 2011

Leadership of Introverts vs. Extroverts

What are your thoughts on linking leadership success to whether someone is an introvert or an extrovert? I found an interesting article on this topic.

I do not agree with putting people in boxes. We need to recognize the unique strengths of an individual leader who may have both introverted qualities as well as extroverted qualities. Then, based on the strengths of the leadership qualities they possess, leaders must adapt their style based on who they are interacting with at the time to be effective. To say that a leader who is extroverted is a better leader than an introverted leader, or an introverted leader is better at inspiring innovation in others not only stereotypes a person according to the strengths and traits attributed to an introvert or an extrovert,it assumes that this leader, who may high qualities of extroversion, has ALL facets of extroversion and is not high on some and low on others. To type someone in this manner limits our understanding of an individual’s strengths a swell as places limitations on our beliefs of the capabilities of that individual. Individuals are complex and should not be placed in boxes, limiting the beliefs about their effectiveness, their capabilities and their ability to develop and expand.
What are your thoughts on this? I would love to hear!
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