I love people! I really do! And I love being with them!
But as a introvert, I give more than I get when I’m in a group. To make it more complicated, as a leader you’re never really “off the clock”. I used to fight against this reality but it’s an effort in futility. So what is an introverted leader to do?
Give to yourself through solitude and whatever fuels your soul. I read in one of Bill Hybels books that a leader should invest at least 50% of his/her time in their own development. You owe it to your team and the organization you lead to take care of yourself. The most important thing you can give to your team is your energy (again, Bill Hybels said that somewhere).
The older I get the more comfortable I am with my strengths and weaknesses and am learning to leverage the former and not take so seriously the latter.
However over the weekend, my wife and I had an interesting and candid conversation about how I can sometimes be perceived by others. Because I’m a introvert I sometimes give the impression that I’m uncaring or uninterested. This is the last thing I want people to think but they sometimes do.
This week I’ll be processing some thoughts as it relates to how we introverted leaders can guard against the false perception that we don’t care for those we lead.
