Success Strategies for Introvert Leaders
National Institutes of Health
(Workshop for NIH employees only)
BOOK REVIEWS
Publisher's Weekly
"Best Books"
The New York Times
"Currently winning our race for most intriguing book title of 2009 is the oxymoronic “Self-Promotion for Introverts” by Nancy Ancowitz (McGraw Hill). The 'how to' book is filled with tips (rehearse is a favorite). The author’s tone is supportive and she does not argue that introverts should become live wires. But what else would you expect from a book whose subtitle is 'the quiet guide to getting ahead'?"
The Wall Street Journal
"…showing how quiet people can turn their innate strengths into an advantage when networking."
ABC News
"Best Book Gifts"
Los Angeles Times
"Whatever's behind your reluctance to speak out for yourself, this is the first book I've seen with serious research on the topic that leads to a new game plan."
CIO Insight
"Must-Read Fall Books for IT Execs"
Star-Ledger
"Best New Career Books"
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY NEWS DAILY
"Offers a solid dose of practical advice—alongside humorous anecdotes.... Ancowitz shows introverts how to take advantage of the unique qualities and strengths they can offer."
The Independent Consultant
"There is great value in this book, whether you are promoting your own business or consulting practice, or just want to be sure your talents are recognized within your larger organization."
Small Business Trends
"Written by an introvert for introverts."
Ft. Myers Florida Weekly
"'Self-Promotion for Introverts' is a primer on doing just that—helping 'quiet sorts' assert themselves by using their inherent tendencies in the most effective ways."
Columbia University tele-seminar on Self-Promotion for Introverts® play download
Audio has been lightly edited for accuracy.
NANCY'S BIO
A business communication coach specializing in career advancement and presentation skills, Nancy Ancowitz is a thinking partner and stalwart supporter for her clients, who range from CEOs to emerging leaders in the business and creative worlds. Nancy helps her clients get the recognition they deserve. (more...)
Ready for a snarky little diversion? “Every single time I text LOL (laugh out loud), I feel like such an imposter,” says author Mary Hershey. “Honestly, it is rare that I laugh out loud, particularly when I’m texting,” she adds on her and R.L. La Fevers’sShrinking Violet Promotions blog. “It’s more likely that I am LQ2M (laughing quietly to myself).” (more…)
Body language didn’t used to get much respect. Lynne Davidson, Ph.D., a professor of business and organizational behavior at New York University, quips about an incident in the mid-1970s when she was teaching social psychology at another institution. “I submitted a description for a course called Body Language and it was turned down because it was considered too trite and not academic enough,” she says. Without changing as much as a comma in the science-based course description, Davidson, who studied with masters in the field including Albert Scheflen, MD, got the course accepted by renaming it Kinesics and Symbolic Interactionism. (more…)
How can introverts thrive in the business world? Do you need to schmooze to get ahead? How are introverts and extroverts biologically different? Toronto magazine writer, Jasmine Budak, just interviewed me about my book, Self-Promotion for Introverts®, and a couple of Canadian businesspeople shared their insights as well. See Budak’s article, “An Introvert’s Guide to Schmoozing,” which originally appeared in Canadian Business magazine.
How competitive are you? Some of us work collaboratively with our colleagues, even if we’re vying for our share of the same bonus pool. Others one-up each another at meetings, keep valuable information to themselves, and jockey – with pointy elbows – to curry more favor with the boss or to seal the biggest deal. (more…)
Are you drowning in a sea of e-mails, text messages, and calls to return? If you’re an introvert, you can probably relate to the “fail whale” on Twitter, the seriously cute image that pops up whenever that popular social media site gets overloaded. The image, designed by Yiying Lu, depicts little red birds effortlessly lifting a whale in a net from the sea, and accompanies the message, “Twitter is over capacity.”
On this first of August, you may be overdue for some downtime. Of course, if you’re already on vacation, remember to get the quiet time you need to fully recharge. If you’re an extrovert, that could mean going from volleyball on the beach to a barbecue to drag car racing to cocktail parties until the wee hours. If you’re an introvert, it might be time to lift yourself out of the Sea of Too Many Inputs and curl up with your Kindle. Here’s to your inner fail whale!
“Consider what happens when an introvert comes home hoping to chill after a rough day at work – only to find his extrovert* partner waiting to recap every moment of her day,” according to a recent Wall Street Journal article by Elizabeth Bernstein. She continues, “The introvert gets angry; the extrovert feels hurt.” (more…)
We recently celebrated the forty-first anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing, when a soft spoken astronaut named Neil Armstrong made a giant leap for mankind. Isn’t it about time for other reflective, idea-oriented people to get their due? We think so. Instead, simmering under the surface of our cultural consciousness is a belief that introverts are impaired. (more…)
Did you know that the head of the Campbell Soup Company is an introvert? Douglas Conant, president and CEO of the company, just wrote a story for his Harvard Business Review blog to help introvert bosses work better in an organization and manage perceptions about themselves. In the story, titled “Are You an Introverted Boss?” Conant shares his personal observations about navigating a leadership role as an introvert. They include finding time to think, remembering that introverts aren’t necessarily as aloof as they appear, and the benefit of touchstones that create a feeling of familiarity and comfort. (more…)
Many introverts are word lovers. And word lovers hate seeing language butchered. Of course, none of us butcher it ourselves. Right? It’s always someone in the next cubicle. In case you have any doubts the next time you draft an award worthy memo, enter a word you suspect could be jargon into a fun and useful new tool, UNSUCKIT—and presto, out comes the term in plain English. I put UNSUCKITthrough the paces for a few of my pet peeves: (more…)
I recently had several phone conversations with high-powered leaders—all of whom sounded like high-powered leaders. It wasn’t just what they said (not a word wasted), but also how they said it. Not a frog in their collective throats. Rather than hemming and hawing, umming and erring, each of these leaders, from diverse industries and disciplines, spoke in a strong, confident voice. (more…)