by As a business owner, your introversion can be a powerful tool, but only if you let it. So in this article, I’m going to share with you four reasons why being an introvert will help you in business.
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We all know that some of the top business owners and leaders are introverts. And if you didn’t, here’s a list:
- Larry Page – Google
- Bill Gates – Microsoft
- Rosa Parks
- Marissa Mayer – Yahoo
- Nelson Mandela
- Elon Musk – Tesla
- Barack Obama
- Hillary Clinton
And these are just some of the well-known ones. There are so many introverted business owners and leaders that use their introversion as a key to success.
Why being an introvert will help you in business
So if you’ve been trying to be someone you’re not, trying to be more extroverted because you think that’s how you succeed in business, well, I’m here to tell you that’s not the case. Trust me, I’ve been there.
Instead, I’m going to teach you four ways you can use your introverted nature in business for success.
Trait #1: Introverts are deep thinkers
Introverts have a natural tendency to look inward for answers. We search for solutions in our mind for outside problems and take our time to come up with a solution. For this reason, we’re great problem solvers.
When used properly, this skill can be used to our advantage, but some introverts just aren’t aware of it or don’t actively use it. So to tap into your introvert problem-solving potential, you can activate a skill known as deep thinking.
Deep thinking means actively having higher quality thoughts without distraction and with focus. Deep thinking is really hard work. So it should only be used when necessary.
For example, you could use it for problem-solving, making big business decisions or doing really creative work that needs a lot of concentration and focus.
So to utilize the skill to the fullest, I recommend creating ‘think time’. This is where you come up with your ideas, the best.
So for you, it might be when you’re:
- In the shower
- On a walk
- When you’re travelling
- Or simply when you’re alone in a quiet room
This is where you get your best ideas. And so this is your think time space.
Then schedule your think time into your calendar and make sure that it’s dedicated to ‘think time’.
You don’t want to be disturbed by any outside influence, including family, friends, social media, or otherwise. Your think time needs to be completely dedicated to being focused and thinking deeply on your certain subject of choice. Then set a timer and just let your brain do what it wants to do.
In most cases, it’s helpful to have a topic that you want to deal with or a problem you want to solve within your think time. But if you want to add it into your calendar regularly, you can simply set a block of time just to let your brain do its own thing without any problem to solve or any specific work in mind.
Trait #2: Introverts have a lot of empathy
Us introverts have a lot of empathy. It comes as a package deal with all of our other wonderful traits. So in business, it can be used to our advantage.
Truly successful businesses are created on the premise that they understand their customers and this is something us introverts excel at.
Our ability to understand our audience and customers with relative ease, allows us to connect quicker with these customers and audiences, and therefore see success faster.
Utilizing this skill in business though needs some intentional action, it doesn’t just happen.
Your goal is likely to help and support the people you’re selling products to, or the people that you’re influencing. So it’s time to look at your audience on a deeper level. Just like you would with a family member or friend. Because we all know there’s more to someone than meets the eye, and the same goes for your customers or audience.
Empathy is the ability to see other people’s emotions, to be able to understand what they might be thinking or feeling. So beyond your audiences’ gender, or age, or location, how might they be feeling in that certain moment? What problems are creeping up for them?
Once you understand these deeper things, you’ll be able to come up with solutions to their problems and truly connect and understand your audience properly and on a deeper level.
Trait #3: Introverts are good listeners
This trait moves on nicely from the previous one, introverts understand the importance of deeply listening to others, especially to hear the words behind the words.
When working with others or talking to customers, introverts have a natural tendency to listen, ask questions and get to the truth. This skill is great because it allows us to solve problems for others, in less time.
This deep listening also works when we’re receiving criticism. Instead of acting rashly, this deep listening skill will allow us to take on constructive criticism and look at it objectively so we can improve.
And because we’re naturally great listeners, when we speak people listen. And this is because when an introvert speaks, they have something really important to say.
Trait #4: Introverts are very self-aware
Because us introverts tend to talk to ourselves a lot, we also tend to be very self-aware. This means that for the most part, we already know our strengths and weaknesses.
It also means that we can see quickly when we need to learn, improve, and adapt.
Self-improvement and personal development is an introvert’s strong suit. So when we see that we need to improve, we have no problem and feel no shame in seeking out courses and gurus and advice online, so that we can make the changes that we need to progress.
However, sometimes this eagerness to learn can backfire. As an introvert in business, you need to make sure that when you’re looking for advice or seeking advice out, you make sure it’s from the right people.
Your inbuilt introvert skills can help you succeed in business, but only if you use them to your advantage.
So tell me, what skills do you use as an introvert in business? Leave a comment below and let’s chat.
