Is there hope for introverts who want to get ahead in their careers?

That’s the question Leigh Thompson, a professor of management and organizations, tackled in a recent edition of her Substack newsletter, “Dear Professor.”

For the naturally reticent, a fear of getting overlooked is reasonable, Thompson writes. Silver-tongued charmers who love to speak up in meetings and thrive at networking events have an easier path to leadership at most organizations. After all, executives tend to promote people who stand out.

But, she goes on, “[h]ere’s the irony: extroverts may excel in verbal agility and social graces, but research increasingly shows that effective leadership involves qualities like listening, reflection, focus, and self-management—all areas where introverts typically excel.”

This week: an introvert’s guide to advancement. (No scary icebreaker questions, we promise!)

No shying away

Certainly, it can be helpful to step outside your comfort zone—Thompson suggests that introverts consider role-playing as an extrovert for an hour at a time—but for the most part, introverts should work with, rather than against, their natural tendencies.

That means carefully managing when and how you interact with others. An open-door policy probably isn’t the right fit for shyer leaders. “Instead, try what I call a ‘swinging door’ approach,” Thompson writes. “This means having the door metaphorically (and literally!) open or closed based on the situation. As an introvert, you can exercise control over when, why, and how you invite conversations, allowing you to excel at one-on-one interactions.”

What about when, despite your best efforts, you find yourself in the hot seat and feeling tongue-tied? Thompson has a simple trick: “shift the focus back onto the extrovert by asking questions like, ‘Tell me more about how you achieved X,’ or ‘I’m interested in your background; how did you get to this point?’ These queries divert attention away from you while fostering meaningful dialogue.”

Practice, practice, practice

There’s another great way to combat that terror of being on the spot: planning. Thompson’s advice reminded me of this Kellogg Insight piece on how to prepare for common and important career moments.

One of my favorite pieces of advice: have a couple of stock answers to the dreaded “and what do you do?” networking question.

Craig Wortmann, a clinical professor of marketing, says to think of it as your “movie trailer.” It should go beyond the simple answer—“I’m an engineer”—and be honed and compelling enough to draw people in to want to learn more.

When Wortmann launched his most recent company, his movie trailer became, “I run a firm called Sales Engine. We help companies build and tune their sales engine.” In two sentences, he was able to give the name of the company, his position, and the purpose of the business.

And just like a real movie trailer that gets edited depending on whether it’s appearing before an action movie or a comedy, you should have a few versions of your story ready, depending on your audience. You’ll want to have a more technical version for someone in your industry versus a more general one you use in social contexts, for example.

You can find your quietest nook and read the whole piece here.

See you next week!

Susie Allen, senior research editor
Kellogg Insight