My public speaking class officially came to an end this morning, after I turned in all the research I conducted for my speeches and receive the grade from my final speech along with a great big donut. My finance class will end tomorrow and then I hope I can finally take a breath before my corporate tax class starts next Monday. In the least to say, I’m happy with the grade I got for my public speaking class because who wouldn’t be happy with an A? 🙂 Anyway, here is my second speech and please note this is a persuasive speech.

Why Introverts Make Great Leaders?

If I were to ask you to picture a stereotypical leader, what qualities would immediately spark in your head? According to an article in the ASCA Newsletter, most people would immediately picture someone confident, brash, and outgoing. Were those the qualities you thought of? If yes, then you’ve pictured a classic extrovert. From my last speech, I talked about an experiment done to compare the effectiveness of an introverted vs extroverted leader. The results were that the stores with an extroverted leader earned a higher profit than the stores with an introverted leader. So does this mean a company shouldn’t hire introverts for leadership positions? In my opinion, as an introvert, I think companies should hire introverts for upper management positions and in the next 4 minutes or so, I’m going to talk about the pros and cons of introverted leaderships as well as what can the companies do to close the gap between introverted and extroverted leadership.

The ASCA Newsletter article, 7 reasons Introverts Make Great Leaders, says that introverts make great leaders because they are great listeners and are usually calmer and better prepared than extroverts. They often prefer to collaborate rather than telling others what to do, unlike extroverts who prefer to lead. Also introverts don’t typically settle on a single idea. They like to explore deeper for alternatives and will explore until they are satisfied. In addition, introverts prefer solitude to reflect and theorize on ideas and if they’re not doing those things, they’d write.

However, everything always comes with a downside. For introverted leaders, it is that they prefer to be alone and they prefer not to be the initiator of conversations and social interactions. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to brainstorm with an introvert. Also introverts prefer one-on-one conversations rather than speaking to a group. Lastly, according to an article by J.G. Skakoon, a consequence with having an introverted leader is that the introvert’s performance can be impaired by distractions whereas distractions would go unnoticed for an extrovert.

So what can a company do to close the gap between introverted and extroverted leaders? To cancel out the cons I just spoke of? Well, a company can rethink open-plan offices despite many studies suggest that open-plan offices tend to lead to counterproductive behavior. Or a company can provide separate meeting rooms to reduce distraction as well as allow employees ample time to prepare for presentations. Secondly, companies should encourage employees to think like an introvert, allow them quiet to reflect on ideas. Finally, companies should allow introverts to shine! Companies should allow introverts to perform tasks normally done by an extrovert. Employees should encourage to show patience when introverts speak, to allow them the time to think before speaking. Lastly, leaders should be allowed to choose their team members.

So why should companies hire introverts for leadership positions? Because instead of jumping to conclusion and into the task, introverts are good listeners of ideas and quiet observers as well as they often go beyond a single idea. Now that you’ve heard all about the pros and cons of an introverted leadership, does it cause you to rethink the image and qualities of a stereotypical leader?