In the modern business arena, the workplace can often seem geared towards the extrovert, and this can leave those of us that recharge our batteries by spending time alone or in a one to one situation at a disadvantage. Luckily, by establishing a firm foundation on which to work and boosting our confidence in specific areas, even the most introverted of us can be successful managers. Read on to find out more.
Play to your strengths
https://youtube.com/watch?v=05q-U7Pr9qg
Introverts, as a rule, tend to be good as particular tasks including listening, observing, dealing with people on a one to one basis, and predicting possible problems before they happen. Of course, these are fantastic and useful skills for managers to have and can make all the difference in the commercial world. It just means that introverts need to find managerial posts that consist mainly of these type of duties rather than others that they may find more challenging or draining.
To that end, be sure to ask detailed questions in person, or via email when applying for posts and at interview. Also, don’t forget that as a manager you will have some say of over the way thing are done, so once you have secured a position it is often possible to make changes that will both work for your team, and you personally such as giving feedback on a one to one basis rather than as a group.
Boost your confidence
Next, when it comes to being in charge, an introvert’s belief in themselves may spring less from their natural charisma and more from a sense of personal confidence. Luckily, this something that can be fostered in several ways.
First of all, be sure to pursue advanced learning in the areas in which you want to succeed, such as a masters in hotel management for those wishing to succeed in the hospitality trade. After all, having in-depth knowledge and experience in your field will boost your confidence to a level where it makes directing and delegating to other in your team a lot easier.
Also, it can be hugely helpful to take time each day to organize your thoughts and prepare what you need to say to people, especially if you are speaking to a group. The reason being that introverts are often most eloquent in writing rather than speaking off of the top of their heads. Therefore having something written down beforehand can help you to stay focused and effectively deal with the critical issues without getting distracted.
Use modern communication platforms
Lastly, it’s vital to remember that modern methods of communication can be leveraged by the introvert to convey messages to a broad audience in a less stressful way.
I’m not just talking about texts and social media here, in fact, there are new staff management systems that can be used to rota, fill, and instruct employees all in an automated way. Thus removing the introvert manager from HR types situations that would typically be both challenging and draining, and so freeing them up to focus on the other aspects of running a business to which they are better suited.
