Over the past month, I mentioned to a few folks that I was reading a book on introversion, and for the most part their reactions made me feel like I’d said I was interning at a leper colony. Why is that? “We live in a value system that I call the Extrovert Ideal – the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight,” says Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. Cain reports that roughly one-third to one-half of members of our society are introverted and yet even the people so described likely recoil at the thought of being seen as those who fear their own shadows. But using early-20th century psychologist Carl Jung’s terminology, being drawn to the inner world of thought and feeling does not a sociopath make. (Note: Jung also said, “There is no such thing as a pure extrovert or pure introvert” as such a person “would be in the lunatic asylum.”)
The book runs under 300 pages yet manages to span Cain’s reports on everything from the most peaceful, reflective workshop to a manic, fire-walking Tony Robbins’, um, concert. It’s her take on the latter where the author proves to be both a thoughtful authority and biting humorist. About Robbins’ seminar she notes, “If Jesus returned to Earth… it would be hard to imagine a more jubilant reception.” It’s her sharp commentary on the contrast of the electricity of a packed stadium to the silence of private thought that makes this an important read. Is paying an outsized motivational speaker upwards of $2,500 – not that there’s anything wrong with that – necessary to tap one’s potential? For some, sure. But the reader realizesone shouldn’t assume that all participants will capture equal value from such an event. Imagine carving into your limited budget to send 10 of your people to a noisy motivational seminar, only to realize that as many as half of them would have preferred to pull a double shift solving complex issues back at the ranch.
Quiet also gently points out that not everyone appreciates open office plans in which “the only walls are the ones holding up the building.” It was just four months ago in this space that Pixar was celebrated as a company that had brilliantly centralized its bathrooms to force employee interaction… and yet now it seems fair game to question the overall effectiveness of that design. Many people – perhaps even you – aren’t wired for stop-and-chat blather or Bob’s break room birthday celebration, and maybe we shouldn’t force-feed such corporate staples at our offices. Whereintroverts are your best resource for quality listening, thinking, and strategizing, perhaps some private, air horn-free cubicles are most appropriate. Cain’s book challenges those who’ve ever been guilty of assuming the quiet among us are anti-social or strange. If you have work to do in this area, ordering the just-released paperback (under $10) and setting aside some quiet time (free!) may just produce a truly worthwhile result.