As you are here, reading my blog aimed at introverted business professionals, there is a pretty good chance that you yourself are an introvert. Plus, you are quite likely to be an entrepreneur or business owner as well. Do you think that your introversion has had any apparent effect on your career of choice? Even though you might not be completely aware of any significant impact that your personality type has had, there are lots of people out there who would have you believe that it is indeed the case that being an introvert or an extrovert can affect how well you do in the business world.
On the face of it, it makes sense that being an extrovert or introvert will change your experience of the business world and how well you do within it. But is it really the case that one set of people will outperform the other just because of their personality type? Well, the jury is still out on that and many personality experts find it difficult to agree on this subject. That’s because being an extrovert or introvert will have its own set of advantages and disadvantages that will affect how you adapt to becoming an entrepreneur.
Still not convinced as to which personality type makes the best entrepreneur? Here are the advantages that come with each – now it’s time for you to come to your own decision.
The Case For Extroverts
- They Have The Confidence
One of the most obvious advantages for extroverts is that they will have a lot of confidence. Sometimes in the world of business, confidence alone can get you really far. After all, they won’t think twice about who they pitch to, and they will usually come across as very well in all of their presentations. They will also be fantastic public speakers and won’t worry when they need to plan and lead a meeting. However, all of this confidence does come at a price sometimes, though, because some people may confuse all of this swagger for cockiness.
- Can Take Advantage Of Their Wide Network
Extroverts are always very friendly and would consider themselves as being a people-person. As a result, I’m sure that they know a lot of people working in the same industry as them and will, therefore, benefit from a very wide network. That means they will have plenty of people to rely on whenever they need help and support with their business ventures. Not only that, though, but most extroverts are also very happy with expanding their network circle whenever needed. So, even if they don’t know anyone who can help them with a particular problem in their company, they won’t have any issues with trying to meet new people to bring on board to help.
- They Find It Easier To Coordinate Numerous Teams
As extroverts are extremely good at working with other people, even in large teams, they will find it very easy whenever they need to coordinate large groups of people. That will even be the case whenever they need to coordinate a number of different teams. Needing to bounce around between the teams and liaising with all of the members won’t be too much of a problem for them. In fact, most extroverts find it very easy to recognize and understand the interpersonal dynamics that are taking place within a team, and they can then use this to their advantage as it will help them better manage the team as a whole.
- They Have Heaps Of Charisma
I’ve already mentioned that an extrovert will be a people-person, and that will also mean that they have bags of charisma that they can call upon whenever they need it. It’s true that charisma isn’t exclusively necessary for success in business, there is no denying that it does indeed help! Thanks to all of this charisma, they will find it easier to seal the deal when it comes to sales and also attract and engage a huge audience. Plus, winning over new clients will be very easy for them indeed!
- Meetings Come Easy To Them
Something else in business that will come very easy to extroverts is meetings. They will feel confident giving any kinds of speeches and presentations, and they will also be happy to ask any questions that they may have. There certainly won’t be any nerves holding them back, that’s for sure!
The Case For Introverts
So, there does seem to be quite a few advantages for entrepreneurs who are extroverts. But does that mean that they will always beat introverted entrepreneurs? Not necessarily, here are a few advantages that introverts have over the extroverts.
- There Are Already So Many Great Introverted Entrepreneurs
If you take a look at a list of the most famous entrepreneurs, you will see that there are so many who are considered to be introverts. So, from those examples, it is very easy to see that introverts can almost certainly succeed in the business world. After all, just take a look at J.K. Rowling, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates. They all consider themselves to be introverted, but have been able to make a huge success out of their ventures.
- It’s Easier For Them To Focus
Introverts find it very easy to focus and aren’t easily distracted. Thanks to this quality, they can get through quite a bit of work without any temptation of procrastination. As well as that, though, they would also rather work on their own rather than engage with large groups. Thanks to this working environment preference, they can give their full attention to their work and won’t be so inclined to waste time on frivolous conversations. So, it looks like introverts could be a lot more productive than extroverts, which will certainly help them achieve plenty of success in their career.
- They Understand When To Ask For Help
Introverts aren’t as confident as extroverts, so they are a lot less likely to be cocky or show all the usual signs of big-headedness. They are also far from stubborn. And that means that they will always ask for help whenever they need it. They also know the importance of relying on various resources and tools that can help them complete their work quicker and to a much higher standard. Introverts can find out more about DesignDocs and other such tools that can help them with their solo work by searching for useful business software and tools online.
- They’re Known For Forming Close Relationships
Even though introverts don’t form relationships with others as quickly as extroverts do, it doesn’t mean that it never happens. In fact, introverts have the significant advantage that the relationships that they create are often a lot closer than those created by extroverts. Thanks to this, most introverts can actually be quite a bit better at making and maintaining log-lasting relationships with a close group of loyal employees and business partners.
- Less Likely To Be Micromanagers
Did you also know that some studies show that introverts are a lot less likely to be micromanagers compared to their extroverted colleagues? It’s true! Many people believe it all boils down to introverts preferring to be on their own and focus on their own solo work. So, when you have an introverted manager or company leader, they won’t feel it necessary to interrupt and disturb all of their employees regularly. This isn’t always the case with extroverted entrepreneurs, who might not even realize what they are doing could be construed as micromanagement.
- Not Interested In Being The Center Of Attention
As you’ve probably guessed by now, introverts aren’t too bothered about being the center of attention. As I’ve previously mentioned, they are much better to focus on what they are doing and tend not to have such large egos. They also aren’t too keen on being right in the center of attention whenever they have done something well or achieved some success. They would much rather share the limelight or focus it on someone else. It doesn’t take much to make an introvert blush, that’s for sure!
- They’re Happy To Take Other’s Ideas Into Consideration
Because introverted entrepreneurs aren’t so interested in being in the limelight so often, you will find that they are more than happy to take other people’s ideas into consideration. This is often very healthy for most businesses as it ensures that a wealth of ideas and creativity is brought onboard which can really help most organizations to flourish. Not only that, though, but the more ideas that are being swapped around in a company reduces the chances of the business failing. There will be plenty of ideas to fall back on if one were to fail!
So, as you can see, there are lots of different advantages when it comes to extroverts and introverts working as entrepreneurs and business leaders in the professional world. However, at the end of the day, it really is up to the individual. If someone wants to succeed and has plenty of drive, they will certainly do well regardless of their personality type.
