Introversion is often considered a weakness because our society favors extroverts, but it’s not really a weakness. It’s a personality trait and one you can’t change. You are either an introvert or an extrovert. That’s a given. Does that mean you are handicapped when it comes to succeeding in a society that rewards extraversion?
Hardly! What you need to do is utilize the strengths of the introvert to your advantage. You can also utilize techniques to help you better handle things that require you to be outgoing.
Instead of trying to make yourself an extrovert, focus on using the strengths of being an introvert. Introverts are almost always more observant than extroverts, for example. That’s an incredible strength you can use to your advantage.
Other strengths that come with introversion include the ability to be introspective and insightful, the ability to be eloquent, thoughtfulness, and leadership ability that’s often untapped because it’s not recognized as such. We’re so used to assuming that leaders *look* like extroverts that many people never stop considering the value introverts bring.
All of these are strengths that being an introvert gives you naturally. Use them instead of trying to change yourself!
The other side of the coin -the difficulty you have in a society geared towards extroverts -can be handled with a few techniques. The first of these is watching your “social battery.” Since you don’t have as much ability to socialize as extraverts, you need to watch yourself and save your socializing for the times when it’s most important.
That means you should save your charge for meetings, networking events, and the like when they are coming up so you don’t get there and cannot function.
Secondly, if you tend to be quiet and unassertive like most introverts, you must practice speaking up when something that matters to you is at stake. There’s no way around this; as much as you hate it, you must learn to speak your voice when something is important to you.
Finally, most introverts are sensitive people. There’s nothing wrong with this. But it means most introverts tend to react immediately (and badly) to things like constructive feedback. Instead, work on taking some time to think about what’s been said and consider it before responding.
Combine these techniques with focusing on your strengths, and you will gain benefits you never expected.