How Business Managers Can Work With Introverts And Extroverts
By virtue of our different temperaments, we are always unique and different in our ways of expressing ourselves and understanding the world. That is the true situation of the world. You will always find and work with introverts and extroverts in every working place you can think of.
But that is not the problem. How you harness the prowess of introverts and extroverts is the most important thing. They can all work for you at different times.
The understanding of the temperament of your workers will enable you to handle them better. For instance, it will be suicidal to make an introvert the head of your marketing team. That won’t work.
Also read: Advantages of working for startups
Again, imagine how ineffective an extrovert will be if you place him in an office where he is drowned by files. You see, understanding how to work with introverts and extroverts enables business managers to place square pegs in square holes.
It is not just important to understand how to work with introverts and extroverts in the workplace, it is equally crucial to understand how they think and act so as to get along with everybody both at work and outside of work.
However, our focus today is on how to work with introverts and extroverts as managers and co-workers. It is not strange given that you need to understand these people and the fact the workplace is a temporary home. That is the truth.
Introverts and extroverts complement each other. They are not mutually exclusive as some people will believe and therefore, whether you are the business manager or just a staff in the organization, this piece is for you. By the time you will be through with reading this article, you will learn how to work with introverts and extroverts.
Ways to work with an introvert
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Ensure the agenda is provided in advance
Because of the nature of introverts, they prefer an organized setting. If you want to deal with them on any issue, it is preferable to pre-inform them so that they will get ready for anything that you want them to do.
We recommend that you give the introverts that you would work with advance notice on what they should do. That way, they can plan the process and bring a better output.
According to Jenny Kahnweoler, the author of “Quiet Influence: The Introverts Guide to Making a Difference,” this is how to deal with introverts. “If there is a meeting, for example, send details ahead of time so they don’t go in blind. They will feel more comfortable and appreciate your consideration”
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Try the electronic method
The introverts will always prefer one-on-one discourses to group meetings. They are naturally shy remember.
Therefore, we suggest that you try out online meetings in the form of chats and you will be surprised at their level of contributions.
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Be patient
The saying that patience is a virtue is magnified with introverts. Because of their temperament, they find it difficult to get out of their comfort zone when they want to share ideas with the group. They will take time to articulate themselves and make sure that there is little margin for error before they can share their thoughts and ideas.
Tim Backes explains this point better. Meanwhile, Tim is the chief editor of Source Resume. He said that “when discussing projects [with] introverts, you are not going to get lots of verbal feedback. That doesn’t mean they aren’t listening or that they have nothing to say. An introvert prefers to take some time to process information and respond in a way that’s most comfortable for them, such as via a well-written email.”
I want to believe it is clearer now. Very clear I would say. Just take time, be patient and understanding with the introvert and you will get very refined ideas over time.
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Provide the opportunity
The thing with introverts is that they will not ask for anything. Yea, you heard that right. They are independent and will only ask for things that are of utmost importance.
What you should do is provide them with the things that they will need. The opportunities needed to express themselves should be made available to them. You can get to them in private to find out what they will need and follow up with the right provisions.
Well, I guess your knowledge on how to work with the introverts and extroverts have been increased. At least, at this juncture, you can say comfortably how to deal with the introverts. Our task is half complete. Let us look at the extrovert.
Ways to work with an extrovert
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Give the freedom to express themselves
The extrovert is full of sparkle. Please, don’t dull the sparkle of an extrovert. If there is anything you should support it. You should give them roles and tasks that are aligned with their personality. Connecting with people allows them to flow so make sure you don’t stop them. provide platforms for them to share their ideas and you can be certain that they have many of them.
According to KahnWeiler, you should “Plan to give the extroverts some face time, since they need to talk out their ideas and bounce things off [others].”
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While giving them freedom, be assertive
The extrovert will naturally occupy more time than others in the organization. This is a normal issue. The issue or the problem will be when they take every time available and that doesn’t make much sense now, does it?
Don’t let them steal all the time available as that wouldn’t be the best for you and your organization. Ensure you get a word across when it is needed.
According to Marc Miller, the MLM Coaching and Consulting president, “workers must learn to speak up among chatty employees. It’s important that everyone has their chance to share, and sometimes extroverts don’t even notice how much they’re talking. Don’t be afraid to politely interrupt or direct the conversation away from them and their proposals”
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Ask them questions
The ministry is moving. We are learning how to work with introverts and extroverts now. While the introvert takes time to do the job but gets it done to a point of perfection, an extrovert can be haphazard.
Therefore, you will need to test the idea an extrovert is bringing to you more so as to understand the workability of the idea. Remember, they didn’t take time to go through the details and that is the dilemma.
Look at this analysis by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran, the Introvert Whisper blog founder. I believe it explains a lot. She said that “With an extrovert, you may want to test what you hear them say by asking questions. An extrovert tends to think out loud by talking [and] gains energy both by talking as well as by [interacting] with others. This means that some of what you hear from them may be all part of working through their thinking.”
Conclusion
Everybody is different and the different types of temperament exist. Therefore, you will need to understand where your co-workers, team members, staff and others within your organization fall in. that way, you can be able to handle what they need and you will learn how to work with introverts and extroverts irrespective of the organizational structure.
You can check this link for more on how to work with introverts and extroverts.
