26 May 5 Tips for Introvert Leaders
As an introvert leader, I struggle the most with speaking up in a meeting.
My main 2 challenges when attending a meeting or a call are:
1. I tend to listen a lot, I mean actively listen, also being curious about what is said “behind the lines”, from the perspective of the person talking. As a result, I may take longer to form an opinion and may not have the opportunity to express it.
2. I just have a hard time interrupting someone who is talking (might be a good behavior after all) or to jump in as the next speaker. As an introvert, I’ll wait a few too many (fatal?) seconds to speak up and will miss my opportunity to contribute.
Both challenges, while also occasionally being a strength for me – I feel no shame not speaking up when I consciously understand that I cannot add value – can at times play against me: People may think I am detached, not contributing to the team, or not having enough executive presence.
Over time, I have developed a few strategies to speak up more, while of course still enjoying being an introvert leader 😉 Here are my top 5 strategies to speak up:
1. I leverage the technology possibilities offered by virtual meeting rooms, using the “Raise my hand” function when I need to speak. This way, I clearly signal that I want to talk and people will usually respect this “queueing system”.
2. I write my ideas or proposals during the meeting or immediately after and send them to the attendees. One big strength of introverts is their ability to write rather than speak. So I use that strength.
3. I prepare in advance for what I want to say. In general, you’ll get an agenda of the meeting or at least have a good idea of topics to be discussed or outcomes to reach. The more you prepare, the easier it is to speak up.
4. Building on #3 above, I try to speak first whenever I can. This lets me a virgin land to express my opinion and idea clearly, and with no self-limiting belief that it won’t be at odds with things that may have been said before.
5. I use breathing/meditation routines to defeat the inner-voice telling me I have nothing to contribute and I focus instead on (1) the value I’ll add to the discussion and (2) the feeling that failing is part of the experience. I am not aiming at perfection.
What else have you tried to speak up more? What is working well for you?
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