During a recent podcast interview I gave to Rishad Tobaccowala, I shared the following provocation:
Introverts and empaths will rise as the next creative leaders.
I’m sure of this for a number of reasons:
Half the population describes themselves as introverts yet in many industries 80%+ of leaders are extroverts. In advertising, I would guess that figure is upwards of 90%. We have a lack of dispositional diversity.
The psychological safety of cultures of belonging unearth groundbreaking creativity. And empaths are best suited to create these conditions.
Selling in work is best done by creative teams who listen to client feedback, and are comfortable with silences and longer processing times. This flies in the face of most assumptions about creative presentations being salesy, loud and hubristic. Those who can read the room — or the Zoom — are able to get in front of idea-killing and save good concepts by noticing body language and lukewarm reception.
As creative work finds its home away from overstimulating office environments, more introverted creatives will thrive. Quieter types claim to be more comfortable talking on Zoom than in crowded all-hands meetings. Finally the quieter folks will get heard, seen and valued.
Rishad brought up another point I hadn’t considered: that, in a world where the left-brain tasks will increasingly be done by machines, there will be a greater demand for empathy, emotion and humanity to work in tandem with the machines.
Yet shortly after our interview aired, I stumbled upon a tweet that reminded me how some introverts face a double bind.
The comments were illuminating, and heartbreaking:
“What’s crazy is being an introvert, being excluded or iced out in the workplace and then when you accept it, you’re told to socialize more with your co-workers.”
“Black people don’t get to be shy; they’ll say we have an attitude.”
“Black extroverts are called loud and unprofessional. Black introverts are called distant and intimidating.”
I’m so glad I came across this thread. Part of rethinking introversion means interrogating our own bias towards our quieter team members on top of racial bias. Essentially, what assumptions am I making on top of other assumptions the world makes about what leadership looks like?
Introverts aren’t checked out, they’re processing.
Not talking doesn’t mean not thinking.
They’re not aloof, they’re protecting their energy reserves.
They’re not anti-social, they recharge in solitude.
And then the most important question of all:
Who gets to be quiet or shy and who doesn’t? How can we ensure that decisions about promotions, raises and bonuses don’t favor extroverts or only introverts from certain groups and not others?
Please talk about this. Especially with those who talk the least.
Until next time, remember that culture is the new creativity.
This definitely resonated with me. Early in my career, someone said about me that
"sometimes the quietest person in the room is also the smartest." I think I took that as a challenge at that point in time, rather than acceptance or acknowledgement. How would anyone else ever hear my thoughts or ideas if I didn't learn to become louder or have a more commanding presence? So...I did. And then, at some point, in an annual review, another manager shared that I was sometimes too "aggressive and intimidating" because I was actually used my voice. Such a lovely double standard.
For me, I've found that while I'll always be an introvert, there are times when I do need to turn up the dial, depending on the other elements of Power and Privilege in the room that I may need to break through. But there are also times where I can sit back, observe, listen, and hold the space I need in order to process and really do some deep thinking. I guess, my introvert side feels more at ease in places where I feel a sense of psychological safety. There's less pressure to perform. Which is tough in advertising in general, because the scales really are tipped away from our favor.
I have a few folks on my team right now who are strong introverts, and I've been doing my best to work with them in the way that feels natural. I do encourage them to take part in team conversations more, but also have been working on leaning into their strengths in other areas--their skillsets, interests, etc.--so that they know they can contribute in other ways besides volume. It's tough in this industry, though.
What you shared about the added layer of biases when thinking about introversion vs. extroversion was the first time I'd heard that connection, despite the double standard that I faced. I can see where my own biases have been at work toward others, and I'm going to try to be much more conscious of this going forward.
Thank you, as always.
Kat your insights on the podcast especially this one we’re invaluable and resonated with many listeners!