For example, one of my coaching clients struggled to assert herself in team meetings, often feeling overshadowed by her more extroverted peers and sometimes by more junior people as well. Through our work together, we reframed her quiet demeanor as a strength, helping her develop confidence in asking incisive questions and providing insightful summaries.

As a result, she became the go-to person for clarifying complex issues in her team. Within just four months, her influence in meetings grew, and she was specifically asked to lead key discussions, a clear indicator of her newfound leadership presence. The shift not only boosted her confidence but also positioned her as an invaluable resource for her team.

Practical Tips

• Schedule time for reflection before making big decisions. Strategizing usually requires more time and effort than we assume.
• Focus on asking incisive questions to encourage dialogue and demonstrate thoughtfulness. Instead of coming up with groundbreaking ideas on the spot, pose questions that prompt deeper conversations and better solutions.
• Lean into written communication. Emails, strategy documents, and project updates can be just as impactful as verbal presentations and give you more time to express your thoughts clearly.
• Identify one strength you naturally bring to leadership (such as active listening, deep thinking or creativity) and find ways to emphasize it in your role every day and in your performance reviews.

Overcome Common Challenges

Despite their strengths, introverts' capabilities are often overlooked due to societal expectations favoring extroverted traits. Introverted leaders often face hurdles like managing energy in extroverted environments or navigating the need for self-promotion. Research on overstimulation highlights how social and sensory inputs can drain introverts, impacting performance and wellbeing.

Practical Tips

• Normalize setting boundaries around your energy and time. Be open with your team on when is a good time to contact you and when you’re off-limits. This reduces the pressure to always be "on."
• Use pre-meeting preparation to feel more confident. Jot down key points and questions in advance so you can go into meetings feeling prepared and present.
• Avoid back-to-back meetings when possible. Schedule breaks in between meetings to recharge and regroup. It might sound trivial now, but after several meetings in a row, you will do anything to get that energy back.
• Reframe self-promotion as celebrating your team’s accomplishments. By shifting the focus away from yourself, you can advocate for your work authentically.
• Learn assertive language and confident phrasing to advocate for your ideas without overextending yourself. For instance, instead of saying, “This might be wrong, but…” try, “Another approach could be…,” and instead of, “It might not make sense, but…” say, “I’d like to propose….”

Build Influence Without Draining Energy

Leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room – it’s about impact. Quietly confident leaders build influence through authenticity and precision. For example, impactful one-on-one conversations can often be more effective than commanding attention in large groups.

Storytelling can also be a powerful tool. Share personal anecdotes or customer stories to illustrate your points. Introverted leaders often excel at crafting meaningful narratives that connect with others on a deeper level.

Practical Tips

• Ask insightful questions to steer conversations and demonstrate engagement, such as “How does this align with our bigger goals?” This helps you to stay focused on high-impact discussions without dominating them.
• Use storytelling to make your ideas memorable and relatable. Even short, relevant stories can help others to connect with your vision.
• Leverage one-on-one meetings to build deeper connections and influence. These provide a more intimate space where you can discuss ideas with less pressure.
• Prioritize quality over quantity. Invest in fewer, high-quality interactions rather than trying to engage in every conversation.

Create Introvert-Friendly Work Environments

Fostering an environment where introverts can thrive benefits everyone. Consider practices like offering meeting agendas in advance, allowing flexible participation formats, and respecting “quiet hours” for deep work.

If you’re looking to take this a step further, coaching can provide invaluable support for both you as a leader and your team, helping everyone to understand their unique strengths and how to work together more effectively.

For example, I worked with a senior leader who was struggling to get all team members, especially introverts, to contribute during brainstorming sessions. We introduced an optional pre-meeting exercise where employees could submit their ideas in writing ahead of time. Not only did this ensure that quieter voices were heard, but it also increased overall participation. The leader reported significant improvements in collaboration and innovation, as the written submissions enriched discussions with more thoughtful, well-rounded perspectives.

Practical Tips

• Encourage a balance of collaboration and autonomy. Allow team members to work independently and collaboratively, depending on the situation.
• Provide agendas in advance so introverted team members can prepare and feel more comfortable participating.
• Allocate blocks of time for deep, uninterrupted work and reduce unnecessary notifications. This helps introverts to focus and produce high-quality work.
• Offer alternative ways for employees to share ideas, such as written submissions or smaller group discussions. These options allow quieter voices to be heard without feeling overwhelmed.

Final Thoughts: Quiet Leaders, Big Impact

Introverts bring immense value to leadership roles, often leading with integrity, thoughtfulness, and empathy. By embracing their natural strengths and adopting strategies tailored to their needs, introverted leaders can be quietly confident – driving meaningful change without compromising who they are.

Whether you’re an introverted leader yourself or managing quieter team members, consider which of these strategies you can implement today. Embrace your quiet strengths or create an environment where introverts can thrive – you’ll be surprised by the results.

What’s Next?

For more on introverted strengths in the workplace, listen to our Book Insight on Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking. If you recognize yourself in the introvert description above, check out our Expert Interview on The Introverted Leader. And if you’re managing introverts on your team, see the tips in our article Managing Introverted Team Members.

Tip of the Week

Network Like a Pro

By Melanie Bell, Mindtools Content Writer and Editor

Late last year, I attended an industry conference. A few of my colleagues were also there, but the event involved many breakout sessions, and I found myself meeting a lot of new people.

Networking can be daunting for many of us, especially introverts like me. So many people! What do you say? What do you do? What if you open your mouth and something stupid comes out?

Mindtools has you covered. Here are some of our top networking tips:

• Be selective: Choose the networking events that are most important for you rather than feeling pressured to attend everything.
• Do your homework: Look into who’s attending the networking events you’re going to. At the conference I mentioned, I looked at the speaker list and found individuals who had collaborated with Mindtools or were currently connected with us. I made sure to say hi to all of them.
• Prepare conversation points: I wish I’d thought of this! I found myself standing around asking, “So, what do you think of the breakfast?” But you can prepare ahead of time by brainstorming engaging and relevant conversation openers.
• Bring a friend: Going to the conference with colleagues helped because I had people to talk to, and we could introduce each other to people we met.
• Take breaks: Big networking events can be overwhelming, and even extroverts need to preserve their energy at times. I made good friends with the snack table.

For more networking tips, see our article 10 Ways to Overcome a Fear of Networking.

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News Roundup

This Week's Global Workplace Insights

Effective Internal Investigations

Investigations of employee wrongdoing are one of those things that many managers hope not to have to deal with. But they do happen, and it’s important to conduct them well.

Joycelyn Stevenson of labor and employment law firm Littler Mendelson shares 7 tips for effective internal investigations on HRDive.

1. Choose the most suitable investigator: Decide if the issue should be managed internally or externally. If a higher-up is being accused, for example, it’s probably best to hire an impartial outside party. In other cases, it may be best to use a designated HR representative if you have someone who manages complaints.
2. Make an outline: The investigator should identify key issues, names, and other relevant information.
3. Interview relevant individuals: This includes the complainant, the person being investigated, and any witnesses. Consider whether you need to make temporary changes to the working conditions of anyone being interviewed and decide on how interviews will be conducted.

See Stevenson’s article for more details.

New Manager? No Need to Know Everything

Being new to management can create a feeling of pressure. But as HBR reports, you don’t have to have all the answers in your role right away – or ever.

Leadership coach Carole-Ann Penney describes the differences in role between the work of an individual contributor, who is often an expert on their subject matter, and a manager, who is often responsible for leading a team into new territory. New managers who are used to working individually can find this to be a big shift in perspective.

Penney offers tips to navigate this jump gracefully, including admitting when you aren’t sure and assuring your team you’ll find out, working to figure out the situation with your team, and asking questions to draw on team members’ expertise. Check out the article for more advice on moving into management and navigating a dynamic where you no longer “know it all.”

See you next week for more member-exclusive content and insight from the Mindtools team!