Harnessing the Power of Independent People
Sita is one of your most creative, talented, and intelligent team members.
When she works from her home office, she comes up with highly innovative solutions to clients' needs. She prefers to work on her own and is successful, productive, and happy.
The problem is that, on certain projects, you need her to work closely with other team members. When she has to do this, she isn't at her best. She finds it difficult to speak up, she's easily distracted by office noise, and she has trouble thinking creatively.
So, how can you harness Sita's strengths as an independent worker, and encourage her to integrate more effectively with the rest of your team?
In this article, we'll look at how you can successfully manage people with an independent or introverted disposition, and we'll discuss what you can do to channel their unique strengths, so that they can shine in a group.
How to Recognize Introverts
Introversion is a personality type that can be identified by certain behaviors, such as quietness, a preference for solitude, and thoughtfulness. Many personality models and tests, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Big Five Personality Traits Model , include a measure of introversion or extroversion.
You can recognize introverts as people who:
• Would rather work alone than with a group.
• Don't speak up often, especially in a group setting. (When they do, their comments are often thoughtful, intelligent, and considerate.)
• Are good listeners and have a high degree of emotional intelligence .
• Like to process information slowly, and prefer to think through new ideas and concepts before they discuss them.
• Prefer to focus intently on one task at a time.
• Don't like to be the center of attention, and prefer one-on-one feedback or praise.
• Don't have a large friendship group at work, but they have deep and meaningful connections with the friends they do have.
Although some introverts are shy, most simply prefer to work alone. (Shyness is a form of social anxiety that results from fear of judgment or social interaction, but this doesn't apply to all introverts.)
Tip:
This article is meant as a general guide, and keep in mind that each person is unique. You might have one introverted team member who prefers to work alone, but she may have no trouble speaking up in a group setting; while another team member might enjoy working regularly with several trusted people. Allow for individual differences in your management approach.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Every personality type has its strengths and weaknesses, and your introverted team members are no different.
Thoughtfulness is one of an introvert's biggest strengths. Many introverts prefer to think first and talk later. They learn by listening, and, once they've had time to process information, they'll often come up with a thoughtful response or creative solution. As such, introverts can be valuable innovators and problem solvers.
If you seek out introverts to discuss an issue, you'll often find that they have useful insights to share and that they've picked up on things that others have missed.
Introverts are typically self-reflective by nature. As a result, they often know themselves well, and they understand how to manage their emotions. They may be empathetic listeners , they may have good communication skills, and they can often pick up on others' emotional needs. Introverts can also be a calming presence in a crisis.
Introverts often find that working in a group can drain their energy. They can find it difficult to jump into the "back and forth" conversations that often take place during brainstorming sessions, so they may keep quiet. They might also find it hard to process information in a noisy group setting, and they'll come up with their best ideas when they're alone.
Interestingly, introverts can often make make better leaders, especially when their team is proactive and engaged. This is because they typically spend more time listening than talking, and they're better able to process information from teams that submit many ideas.