This above all: to thine o
wn self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
Hamlet, Act I, Scene iii
Shakespeare nailed the essence of operating authentically.
Recently there have been a number of articles written about introverts and the need for them to be more extroverted if they want to be truly happy. The premise of these articles is that introverts were not now nor could they ever be genuinely enthusiastic in their natural behavioral state – as introverts. As an extrovert, I have pondered the validity of this issue over the last few months.
I feel that happiness is more a function of choice than of being more extroverted. In actual fact, most of the introverts I know have little desire to be extroverts. Indeed, many of my introverted friends consider me more messy and scattered than they want to be.
After having worked with thousands of accomplished senior executives over the years, we know that the vast majority of introverted leaders are well adjusted and happy. Introverts take great pride in their meticulous preparation and in precise mental models that they employ to happily live their lives in an orderly manner.
We know that everyone operates best when they are functioning out of their natural style and behavioral traits – not someone else’s style. Tip of the day: don’t try to be someone else; that person is already taken.
Who have you judged as needing to operate differently because you might not have fully appreciated their behavioral style?
What judgments might these people have of your behavior?
How will you, personally, benefit from viewing people in a different, holistic way?
I look forward to hearing how you might have judged a person’s behavior, thus limiting your effectiveness in working with them.
