When you think of diversity and inclusion, accepting people of different races, religions, cultures, and gender orientations might come to mind. However, another important aspect of diversity is also accepting people of different personality types—and learning to work well with and manage people whose styles are different from your own. (more…)

Gaining expertise – and letting people know about it – is one of the ways we can really distinguish ourselves as introverts. I’ve heard so many introverts say, “I’m no expert.” We tend to downplay our accomplishments. However, what good does that do us or the people whom we’d like to benefit from our contributions?
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It is one of the best ways to expand your professional network, there’s no limit to how often you can do it, and it’s free. If you haven’t gone on an informational interview lately, why not set one up today? This time tested tactic will help you land your next job, take your career to the next level, and get new clients. (more…)

With six applicants for every job opening, unemployment climbing over the 10 percent mark, and 36 percent of unemployed Americans currently out of work for at least six months, it’s easy to become defeated if you’re searching for a job—especially if you’re an introvert. Why? Since we’re less likely to be out and about seizing every networking opportunity, we may have a harder time competing in this job market. But is working the room at every social function the only way to find a job?
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In your mind’s eye you may picture that raising your professional profile involves a single activity you find crass and repellent—like cold calling or inserting yourself in conversations among strangers at a noisy cocktail reception. It doesn’t have to be that way. Instead, create a marketing mix, or combination of more palatable activities to get yourself the exposure you’re seeking.
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Introverts are in. Or at least we’re becoming better understood—and learning more to use our quiet energy to our advantage. In a recent story for Inc.com, Jessica Stillman praises Susan Cain’s ubiquitous Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking—which people can’t seem to stop talking about! “From a Time cover story to a New York Times Sunday Review piece by Cain, the topic of how our society undervalues introverts and the needs of those with a quieter disposition has been making frequent appearances in the media lately,” says Stillman. (more…)

Who says that self-promotion has to be an all or nothing proposition? What’s the one activity you haven’t gotten around to that would make a difference in your efforts at promoting yourself?
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Getting a word in edgewise at a meeting with extroverts* can be daunting for introverts. Listening carefully without interjecting can be a stretch for extroverts. Yet we all need to do some talking and some listening to work together productively. How do we strike the right balance?

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Why isn’t getting credit where it’s due the norm in the workplace? How often have you shared an idea that your boss or a colleague has turned around and presented as her own? Then there’s the kind of credit you don’t want: blame. From cubicle to corner office, workplaces are crawling with what Ben Dattner, Ph.D., author of The Blame Game: How the Hidden Rules of Credit and Blame Determine Our Success or Failure, calls credit grabbers and blame throwers. (more…)

I just wrote the following article for the e-newsletter of the Association for Psychological Type (APT)—New York Metro Chapter:

I get Google Alerted whenever “introvert” appears in news stories about wallflowers, gadget heads, mad scientists, and social outcasts. The APT community understands that an introvert is someone who recharges her or his energy by doing solo versus social activities, but misconceptions about introverts in our society abound.
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