When I applied for my job at Appfluence, my soon-to-be boss asked me to take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test, a self-report survey designed to indicate preferences in how people see the world and make decisions.
One personality type determined by this questionnaire is Introversion vs. Extroversion.
Contrary to popular misconception, introverts are not “shy,” and extroverts are not “outgoing.” Rather, extroverts draw their energy from external stimulation in the world around them, whereas introverts thrive when focused on independent or reflective activities. These tendencies are what lead us to such misconceptions.
As a simple way of looking at it, extroverts and introverts define how someone recharges their brain.
What is an extrovert?
An extrovert gains their energy from the people around him or her. In many situations, extroverts feel their energy being drained when they spend a lot of time alone. To recharge their brains, extroverts must be social.
What is an introvert?
Introverts recharge their brains by spending time alone. An introvert can lose their energy from being around people for an extended period of time.
As a manager or employer, it is important to recognize these preferences in your team members; introverts and extroverts excel in different environments, and managers must capitalize on these differences to maximize productivity in their teams.
Photo courtesy of insights.com LinkedIn page
How To Manage Extroverts:
- Let them dive right in – Give your employees the opportunity put forth all of their effort and ideas towards projects right off the bat.
- Encourage their enthusiasm – Extroverts tend to be energetic and brimming with different ideas. Keep that energy going by encouraging their excitement towards the work they are doing.
- Let them speak to think – Extroverts recharge their brains when spending time with others, so they usually feel more comfortable coming up with ideas out loud.
- Listen to their many ideas – Extroverts may come up with many different things, some will be good and some will be bad. But, if you put the ideas all together or pick and choose pieces of different ideas, you might be surprised at how good they really are.
- Let them multi-task – Extroverts can be on the restless side so allow them to be stimulated by jumping from project to project.
- Respect their independent nature – Extroverts are their own people. While they work well with teams, keep in mind they also thrive independently.
- Let them shine – Extroverts are bright and exciting workers who are usually brimming with big ideas! Give them encouragement and let them thrive!
How To Manage Introverts:
- Let them think to speak – Introverts may need some time to think things over before unveiling their ideas.
- Give them time to make decisions – Patience is important when leading an introvert. Give them time when it comes to deciding since they are usually considering every aspect of every idea.
- Respect their private nature – An introvert may not be able to do their best work when surrounded by others, and pushing them to do so may end badly. Give introverts the private time and space they need to thrive.
- Appreciate their need to work alone – Introverts can work well with others but they also do well by themselves. This leads them to be able to figure things out on their own and complete tasks without help from others;this can be helpful when you are short handed on a project.
- Carefully listen to them – Introverts may not think aloud, but whenever they do choose to share an idea, it is always smart to listen and give feedback.
- Help them learn at their own pace – Introverts may take longer to grasp onto certain things since a lot of the time they like to learn and work on their own. Help them by encouraging their private nature as well as making it clear that you are always there to help them.
- Let them shine – Introverts take great care and pride in their work, they make sure everything is perfect and can do well on their own and with others. Encourage their practices and let them know you respect their time and nature which will allow them to thrive!
What can help me manage both an extrovert and an introvert?
Whether you’re managing an introvert or an extrovert you can always use some extra organizational and prioritization help.