Survival Tips for the Introverted Manager

Many people assume that introverts have poor social skills or dislike dealing with people. This is often far from the case. Many introverted types are very good at human interaction, make excellent listeners, have strong if subtle public relations skills and if given enough time for planning and preparation are excellent communicators. Introverts with these skill sets may find themselves in work roles that involve management and supervision of others.

Unlike their more extraverted management counterparts, introverted managers may find the added layer of human interaction that supervisory responsibilities add to their jobs is mentally and emotionally draining. A true extravert finds his energy is charged and refueled by public speaking, meetings, and one-on-one encounters with others. An extraverted manager may make his best decisions and do his best planning in the course of group activity, and will actually find large periods of solitude to be a drain on his mental resources. For the introverted manager, the opposite is true. She needs time for quiet reflection and thinking in order to be at peak performance and do her best work.

Since by its very nature supervision is an interactive activity, it might seem that this places an introverted manager at a disadvantage. But by understanding her nature and learning to create a work and personal environment that allows her to perform at her peak, an introverted manager can be highly successful.

Below are five tips to help introverted managers not only succeed, but thrive, in their workplaces and job roles.

Be accessible, but not always available

The best managers are those who accessible. Employees need to feel that communication with their supervisor is a two-way street, and that their boss is readily available to hear ideas, discuss issues, approve action plans, or give input into solving problems.

As an introverted manager, this simple truth may lead you to feel that you need to have a constant "open door" policy for your employees. You may fear that if you don't drop what you're doing to listen and give advice or answers every time someone comes to your door, that your staff will see you as detached, uninvolved, and uncaring.

But as an introvert, it is important to remember that continuous and unplanned interaction can leave your own brain power a bit drained. If you operate in this fashion day in and day out, your own work may suffer, or you may not give your employees the most thought-out responses because you haven't had time to think things through. You'll appear more accessible, but be less effective.

With a bit of planning, you can have the best of both worlds. Arrange your schedule to have frequent walk-in hours and times that employees can meet with you by appointment, but leave just as much time blocked out to work in solitude. Encourage staff to communicate with you by email. Learn to distinguish what is truly an emergency that requires your immediate action and what can be addressed with a simple "thanks for bringing that to my attention. Let me look into it and I'll get back to you in a day."

Minimize and manage meetings

Everyone knows that one of the biggest time-wasters in the workplace can be the dreaded meeting.

A good meeting can bring issues and solutions to the forefront. A bad meeting can turn into a fruitless gripe session or an extended social hour.

One of the good things about being a manager is that most likely you'll be scheduling and facilitating many of the meetings you have to attend. Take the helm, both in terms of the number of meetings you have with your staff and how those meetings are run.

People schedule meetings to discuss workplace issues and activities out of habit. Sometimes they're necessary, but often these things could be just as effectively discussed through email. Before you put a meeting on the calendar, think about whether or not it is really needed.

Regular staff meetings are an important way to keep your team connected. But keep them short and to the point. Come to each meeting with an agenda, and stick to it. Be aware of when your meetings are getting hijacked and being turned into venting sessions or pointless conversations, and steer things back on track. Stick to your schedule, making sure your meetings start and end on time. Encourage staff to bring up issues at your meetings, but when things come up that require further discussion, form the appropriate focus groups or follow up plans rather than letting your agenda get sidetracked.

You can take control of the meetings held within your unit or department. But as a manager, you're probably also asked to participate in a wide range of meetings, focus groups and committees outside of your immediate area. Learn to evaluate these requests and decide which are important. It is critical in your management role to be involved in the organization as a whole, so you'll want to honor some of these requests. But sometimes it may be okay to say "I won't be able to attend those sessions, but if you want to provide me with some information I'll think about the issues and give you some feedback."

Guard your downtime

There's no getting around it. Once you step into the world of management, your job will focus more than ever before on people and relationships. That's the nature of the beast.

As an introvert, this means you'll need to make sure that your personal, off-work life is structured to provide the quiet time for reflection and solitary activities that you need to feel mentally healthy and to be successful. You don't have to become a hermit or neglect your family and friends, but you should make sure that your early morning, evening or weekend hours include some time for solitude or quiet one-on-one activity with your closest loved ones.

Don't overload your social calendar with activities during your most hectic work periods. Opt for an evening alone with a book, a quiet dinner out with your partner or a pajama-clad movie night with your children instead of the party or sporting event if you know the workweek ahead is full of meetings, conferences or client interactions. Save the social butterfly time for when you have a bit less interaction on your professional plate.

Tap into your extraverted team members' strengths

As a manager, you are often the public face for your team or unit. To be the best advocate for your staff, your projects and your goals, you need to be out and about. It is important to have connections both within your workplace and in your overall professional community. That means, of course, more interaction.

You need to network, to know who the players are in your field, to keep abreast of current issues and have contacts that can do what your unit needs done. You need to make sure that the right people know what is going on in your department, both the accomplishments your team has made and the challenges you face.

But you don't need to do it all alone. One of the best things an introverted manager can do is to become familiar with the personalities and preferences of those on her team. Keep your eye out for that staff member who comes up with great solutions during fast-paced brainstorming sessions, who always seems to be dropping by your office and the offices of other colleagues to "toss an idea around." Watch for the team member who handles large volumes of phone calls and client visits with flair, and who seems more sparked by the experiences than frazzled. Make note of the one who always knows who to call for what, and who has contacts ready and able to help him out on the other end of the phone.

Most likely, these will be the extraverted members of your team. As a manager, one of your responsibilities is to promote the professional development of your staff. Help your extraverted team members tap into their skills and preferences and give yourself a little relief at the same time. Don't vanish from the scene yourself, but give these employees the opportunity to represent your unit at meetings and functions, and to go to conferences and build contacts for your organization in the field. Let them build key relationships in others departments that will help your unit meet needs, and give them chances to be your area's public face from time to time.

You can't hide away. As the manager, it is important for you to be known, respected and connected. But you can give yourself a break now and then, and give your extraverted team members professional opportunities that they'll benefit from at the same time.

Reflect before making decisions

You want your team to have faith in you. You want them to know that when there is an issue, a problem, or a decision to be made, that you are capable of quick and well-thought-out solutions.

Because of this, it is tempting to jump to hasty solutions or decisions. When a staff member drops by your office unannounced with a question and seems nervous or concerned, you want to have an answer or an action plan that will leave him feeling more at ease. When a problem is raised in a meeting and everyone is anxiously discussing it, and a bright new employees proposes what sounds like a great solution, you're tempted to say "go for it" to both move things along and reward her innovative thinking.

But remember, as an introvert, your thought processes work best when you give yourself a little time to reflect in solitude and think through all the options and possible outcomes. Learn to be comfortable with saying "let me consider this for a bit and get back to you."

The key to giving yourself time to be introspective without leaving your employees frustrated over unresolved issues is to be reliable in your follow-through. When you hold off on a decision, let them know when to expect to hear back from you. If you say "I'll get back to you tomorrow," get back to them tomorrow. In the meantime, invite and encourage ideas and feedback. Who knows, while you're reflecting on the problem yourself, you may get an email from that fellow introvert on your staff, who didn't give much input at all at the meeting when everyone else was talking a mile a minute, but who was hit with a great idea when he had time to sit alone at his desk and ponder the issue a bit.

Management is clearly a team sport, and requires a lot of social interaction. But that doesn't mean that introverts can't do it, do it well, and even enjoy the experience. By learning to recognize and utilize the strengths of your team, give yourself downtime and opportunities to work in solitude, reflect on decisions, and to be accessible without being always available, you can not only survive but thrive in your management role.