The Power of Introverts (from an Extrovert's Lens)

John Boylan
Nov 6, 2017
5 min read

One of my assignments in PIDP3250 (Instructional Strategies) – which is one of the courses within the Provincial Instructor Diploma Program (PIDP) - was a reflective writing exercise where one must watch the YouTube video clip entitled The Power of Introverts presented by Susan Cain and find a piece of the dialogue that they can related to. The quote within the video that I chose is “When it comes to creativity and to leadership we need introverts to do what they do best.” And the part in her story where the police had to cordon off the streets for her grandfather’s funeral – was also very touching.

When hearing this statement, well…. after watching the entire video I must admit, I found it very, very, moving. It really made me reflect and think about what it is like to be an introvert. Being an extrovert myself… I have always been driven to be present, outgoing, voice my opinions, participate in all group activities, take on leadership roles, and network – as I feed of the energy of others. It is what drives me. As the day goes on… I get more and more charged. Interestingly enough, my wife (of just four months) is an introvert – and her energy drains at it moves from day to night. By evening, I am ready to go out, celebrate, and have dinner with friends. My wife, however, wants to curl up in bed with a good book. Susan’s story is my wife’s story (and those of 1/3 to 1/2 of the population who are themselves introverts – which I did not know?).

I realized that Susan was right. Our society today is so geared to the characteristics of the extrovert. Our corporate culture is definitely designed with extroverts in mind. The part where she quotes Adam Grant who talked about introverts being passed over for leadership roles was very interesting… and hit home personally for me… as it made me reflect on a colleague of mine, whom

I thoroughly enjoyed working with, several years ago. We both were up for the role of Associate Registrar. She had been in the organization longer than I had, she had superior knowledge, was very well educated and a really nice person. I was sure she was going to get the position. She did not. I did. Approximately two weeks after my promotion, I was in a boardroom meeting being introduced to the senior leadership team, and overheard a comment from a senior leader, as the meeting was about to get underway, that she didn’t get the role because she was too quiet. I didn’t really think much about it at the time –but now…. I wonder? Had she been more extrovert (i.e. played the game – become a lawyer like Susan did) – could this position have been hers? Now, I am not questioning my own skills and competencies … but gosh… many years later – this is an interesting insight to reflect on. I loved the part where Susan speaks to the classroom environment in how classrooms were set up with the desks in rows, as opposed to now where they are in pods. One of my roles, not too long ago, as Manager of Scheduling Services for UBC, I was involved in those discussions of classroom design and layout – to meet the needs of blended learning for our students. And not once, did I even think about the students in terms of extroverts or introverts. I was only focused on classroom space, seating arrangements to encourage group dynamics and learning. She also spoke about the self-help books of today; how they have changed over the years, and their titles resonate with extroverts like me such as How to Win Friends and Influence People. This part of the talk stuck with me…as one of my favourite business books is Good to Great by James Colins. He quotes that “in the end, it is impossible to have a great life unless is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a meaningful life without meaningful work.” I took this statement and many more from other books that I have read to mean – to win, you have to go out and get it! It will not come to you. I became swept up in North America’s culture of personality - and became my own “man of action.”

As I move forward in both my educational and career paths, I am eager to learn how I can better respect and learn from my fellow introverts – be it in the classroom or the workplace. Susan mentions in the video where Adam Grant (from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania) stated that introverts make better managers because they allow their staff to come up with their own ideas, as opposed to extroverts who may be more likely to put their stamp on the creativity and not let others ideas come to the surface. Very interesting statement…. It made me really reflect … Have I been guilty of this? And, I have to admit, I think it has happened once or twice in my career. It made me also respect the transformative leaders of our time: Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Gandhi. In how they took on these major roles, even though it was not where they felt comfortable. They, just like my wife, would much rather be sitting in Susan’s grandfather’s apartment in New York surrounded by a library of books. And, I never, knew that one of my favourite authors of all times, Theodor Seuss Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss) was an introvert and how by having solitude in his bell-tower office was a crucial ingredient to his creativity in all the wonderful children’s books that he wrote. I have always lived by one of his quotes as I am a life-long learner and it really resonated with me when I used to read these books to my daughter at bedtime. “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Segwaying this back to my studies in PIDP, I think when creating classroom exercises, I will be mindful that I am thinking about who am I teaching? Each one of my students is unique and has their own personal identity –meaning some will be extroverts an others introverts –and my role is to make both of them feel comfortable in this learning environment and learn from them, as they learn from me. On a side note – I thought the video was very inspiring. My wife thoroughly enjoyed it too.

Here is a the video clip upon which I did my assignment. I encourage you to watch it. Enjoy…