quiet-the-power-of-introverts-in-a-world-that-cant-stop-talking-susan-cain
thinking twice. The same person whofinds it difficult to introduce himself tostrangers might establish a presence onlineand then extend these relationshipsinto the real world.194/929What would have happened if theSubarctic Survival Situation had beenconducted online, with the benefit ofall the voices in the room—the RosaParkses and the Craig Newmarks andthe Darwin Smiths? What if it had beena group of proactive castaways led byan introvert with a gift for calmly encouragingthem to contribute? What ifthere had been an introvert and an extrovertsharing the helm, like RosaParks and Martin Luther King Jr.?
Might they have reached the rightresult?It’s impossible to say. No one hasever run these studies, as far as Iknow—which is a shame. It’s understandablethat the HBS model of leadershipplaces such a high premium onconfidence and quick decision-making.If assertive people tend to get theirway, then it’s a useful skill for leaderswhose work depends on influencingothers. Decisiveness inspires confidence,while wavering (or even appearingto waver) can threaten morale.But one can take these truths too far;in some circumstances quiet, modeststyles of leadership may be equally ormore effective. As I left the HBS campus,I stopped by a display of notableWall Street Journal cartoons in theBaker Library lobby. One showed a195/929
- Page 143 and 144: students’ grade, and a much large
- Page 145 and 146: students. When students fail to spe
- Page 147 and 148: rowdy evening? Students at HBS go o
- Page 149 and 150: judges HBS by how well it prepares
- Page 151 and 152: 151/929“creative,” she answered
- Page 153 and 154: Yet even at Harvard Business School
- Page 155 and 156: salvaged items. But his group didn
- Page 157 and 158: But Mills also pointed to the commo
- Page 159 and 160: powerful as a meeting goes on. It a
- Page 161 and 162: somebody says, ‘I’m bored. Why
- Page 163 and 164: president of Rite-Solutions, and Ji
- Page 165 and 166: have in common was something theydi
- Page 167 and 168: charisma but for extreme humilityco
- Page 169 and 170: he wanted to avoid simplistic answe
- Page 171 and 172: introverted people, as well as one
- Page 173 and 174: results. And personal opinions are
- Page 175 and 176: T-shirts as possible in ten minutes
- Page 177 and 178: which motivated them to work harder
- Page 179 and 180: other hand, “may wish to adopt a
- Page 181 and 182: quietly. “Get off my bus,” Blak
- Page 183 and 184: to ‘reenter that forbidden zone b
- Page 185 and 186: their encounter in her newspapercol
- Page 187 and 188: do it, he said. “Who am I, that I
- Page 189 and 190: If Parks spoke through her actions,
- Page 191 and 192: jobs, dates, and even kidney donors
- Page 193: ‘it’s about people’ mantra we
- Page 197 and 198: clumps. Children frolic in man-made
- Page 199 and 200: man in bright red polo shirt and sn
- Page 201 and 202: and began to feel guilty about all
- Page 203 and 204: Presbyterian minister and worked wi
- Page 205 and 206: means listening as well as talking,
- Page 207 and 208: rock concert venue, save for the un
- Page 209 and 210: nothing, and he’s done good works
- Page 211 and 212: Yet McHugh finds practices like the
- Page 213 and 214: virtue. Righteous behavior is not s
- Page 215 and 216: French. They call themselves theHom
- Page 217 and 218: Homebrew crowd, computers are a too
- Page 219 and 220: who hope to be innovative should wo
- Page 221 and 222: 221/929work best alone where they c
- Page 223 and 224: interpersonally skilled but “not
- Page 225 and 226: independently. We’d want to give
- Page 227 and 228: province of a single mind actually
- Page 229 and 230: & Young, GlaxoSmithKline, Alcoa, an
- Page 231 and 232: According to a 2002 nationwide surv
- Page 233 and 234: Williams also identifies leadership
- Page 235 and 236: The New Groupthink did not arise at
- Page 237 and 238: CFO of the social marketing firm Mr
- Page 239 and 240: year, and asked them to devise a ne
- Page 241 and 242: They found a striking differenceamo
- Page 243 and 244: knowledge that are just out of your
Might they have reached the right
result?
It’s impossible to say. No one has
ever run these studies, as far as I
know—which is a shame. It’s understandable
that the HBS model of leadership
places such a high premium on
confidence and quick decision-making.
If assertive people tend to get their
way, then it’s a useful skill for leaders
whose work depends on influencing
others. Decisiveness inspires confidence,
while wavering (or even appearing
to waver) can threaten morale.
But one can take these truths too far;
in some circumstances quiet, modest
styles of leadership may be equally or
more effective. As I left the HBS campus,
I stopped by a display of notable
Wall Street Journal cartoons in the
Baker Library lobby. One showed a
195/929
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