As a card-carrying introvert Brett felt that he had to perform better than his extroverted co-workers. He interacted with his co-workers, attended networking business events, and reluctantly gave speeches and presentations to prospective clients and customers. Brett has all the skills, talents, knowledge and abilities which he uses to help him survive and thrive in his career. He use to be so fearful of getting up in front of people to give speeches or even presentations, now it is part of his weekly routine and Brett even improved his self-confidence because of it. He has even received bonuses he did not expect.

 

The workplace is filled with different personalities, some quieter than others. People also bring different skills and abilities to the workplace, and it's very important not to misinterpret some of the behaviors and qualities of introverted people. Many people do not interact with others for one reason or another. Some avoid their co-workers altogether and prefer to work independent from others, and then there are those who prefer to work in group situations.

 

It's a major misconception that an extroverted personality is a prerequisite for success. Over 50% of senior executives test as introverts. These include Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Billionaire Warren Buffett, Dell Computer’s Michael Dell, and Sara Lee’s CEO Brenda Barnes.

 

Statistics, confirmed by several sales training firms throughout the United States shows that 10-15% of introverts are motivational speakers Another, 10-15% of introverts are salespeople earning in the six-figure bracket.

 

Introverts have a lot of unique characteristics they do not show to others for fear of embarrassment as well as not wanting to be the center of attention. Managers and supervisors need to recognize these introverted employees and bring out their best so they can maximize their potential in the work they do. Do you know what unique characteristics introverts have that can improve both their productivity and help them move forward in their careers?

 

Introverts tend to be calm and reserved, speak softly and slowly, don't seek the limelight, and act only after thinking something through, she said. Those characteristics often mask introverts' strengths: creativity, intellectual depth, and the ability to see the big picture, maintain an organization's internal compass and balance out the go-getters in the organization.

 

Some people with naturally introverted personality types can find networking daunting.  But there are proven techniques that allow introverts to be quite effective networkers, and advance theircareers.

 

Various techniques can be learned by introverts to go beyond where they never expected to go in their businesses, careers, or even in their personal life. Gaining self-confidence is the name of the game for introverts, with a few other things mixed in such as a change in beliefs, positive self-talk, visualizing what you really want and going after your vision helps many introverts succeed in business. It may take managers more effort to relate to introverts at work, but once they are better understood, managers not just know their employees unique characteristics, but they also know how to use it. As a result, their introverted employees can take advantage of their skills, talents, knowledge and abilities to their maximum potential.

Managers, are you writing off your shy, introverted employees? If you are, you may be losing a great resource in your company! How are you able to harness the skills, talents, knowledge and abilities of your introverted employees? Just remember: Introverts "are like icebergs". "What you see on the surface is only a small percentage of their entire selves. It is just that introverts, left to their own devices, might not help people see the rest of them. So you're going to have to constantly look for the substance underneath.