Some good news for introverts

Today’s tip comes from The New Self-Help, Forge’s 21 essential self-improvement books for the 21st century.

📢 Today’s tip: Don’t confuse charisma with good ideas.

There’s a certain personality type we tend to associate with leadership: gregarious, extraverted, always ready and eager for an audience. But in her book Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we’ve got it all wrong: Often, the quietest voice in the room is one to listen to.

“Studies in group dynamics suggest we perceive talkative people to be more intelligent, better-looking, and more likable than their quieter counterparts,” she writes, “but research suggests that there’s no such link.” In fact, one management study found that the highest-performing companies tend to have CEOs who are humble, reserved, even shy.

And there’s a reason for their success. As Cain puts it: “We need leaders who build not their own egos, but the institutions they run. Not performers, but the people who get things done.”

📚 More from Forge on embracing your introverted side:

Alone Time Is Essential to a Healthy Social Life
Read more >>

The Shy Person’s Guide to Winning Friends and Influencing People
Read more >>

‘Anxious’ Is the New ‘Shy’
Read more >>

The Forge Daily Tip is sent every morning via email. ☀️ Subscribe to The Forge Daily Tip here.

You’re subscribed to receive emails from Forge. You can adjust your settings via the link at the bottom of this email.