Introverts vs. extroverts. Do you know which one is better at business? Well, the truth is both have tendencies or characteristics that help them in business.
Let’s talk a little about introverts and extroverts
Obviously, they show up differently in the world, in relationships and, you guessed it, in business!
If you were to ask most people, they would probably see categorizing someone as an introvert or extrovert as black or white. People are either an introvert or extrovert, not a mix of the two (which would be an ambivert for those who may not have heard of it). Yes, we may lean more towards one than the other but, over time we are also able to learn to be more of the opposite (introvert or extrovert whichever the case may be) when a situation calls for it.
There are also many people who do identify themselves as ambivert (a combo of both introvert and extrovert). We aren’t going to go into detail about ambiverts here but they are definitely worth mentioning and recognizing. Many people, when categorizing themselves see so many qualities of being both an introvert as well as an extrovert that they really don’t lean more towards either. So, in this case, they categorize themselves as ambivert!
What are the differences between introverts and extroverts?
Extroverts
- They get their energy from outside themselves.
- Being in social settings and in a crowd recharges them.
- Extroverts THRIVE in social environments and use social processing (AKA they need to talk about or talk through things) to work through their thoughts in order to really think, come up with, and/or process new ideas.
Introverts
- Introverts get their energy from within themselves.
- They need quiet time in order to recharge. While they do still need socialization, they do not need it to thrive.
- They are thinkers. They choose to think before they speak.
What makes an Extrovert good at business?
- Extroverts are fast thinkers and are able to think on their feet. They can solve problems quickly and are able to suggest new paths as questions/problems/situations arise. They are quick to PIVOT (where are all of my Friends people at?!) when they hit a snag and need to make a decision fast, quick, and in a hurry.
- They enjoy being the “face of the business”. It can be difficult in business when you need to put yourself out there. Extroverts, with their outgoing personalities and their love of being in and conversing with crowds, jump at those opportunities.
- Extroverts are great at interacting with others whether it is customers, clients, people looking into the products/services you are offering, or other business people. Networking (which is such an important part of business nowadays)is one strength of an extrovert.
What makes an introvert good at business?
- They make order out of chaos. They listen, observe, and analyze situations. In a meeting, everyone may be talking and throwing ideas around while the introvert sits quietly in the corner. Never underestimate the person in the corner. They may be sitting there listening, observing, and analyzing everything that is going on and may, possibly, comes up with an idea or solution that blows everything else that was discussed or thought of out of the water.
- Introverts have a tendency to ask the right questions. They have devoted all of their time, energy, and attention to listening to what the customer/client had to say, processed it all, and asked the questions that needed to be asked in order to find out what needs to be done/said to have a happy and satisfied customer/client.
- Introverts are very focused. They think things through before acting. They will focus, fully think things through and analyze everything before coming to a decision.
Both introverts and extroverts have qualities that will help them in business.
An article I read while researching this episode of The Virtual Assistant Advantage podcast states that it takes both extroverts AND introverts to run businesses in this world.
If you were to research articles, looking to see if people believe that extroverts or introverts are better in business you will find a tremendous amount of articles leaning towards each. Both are gifted with a great number of unique gifts that will help them in both business and life.
Recap
Just to recap, I believe that we are able to learn the tendencies of our opposite (introvert or extrovert) to help us in both our lives and business.
I found my research of introvert vs. extrovert very interesting, as well as informative. I learned quite a bit that I hadn’t known before. I hope, by bringing these thoughts and this information to all of you, has been informative and that there was something in here that is new to you that maybe you didn’t know or hadn’t thought of.
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