Apparently, it is now acceptable and even cool to be an
introvert in the workplace, after many years of hearing about how important it
was to be an extrovert in the workplace. Saturday’s NY Times ran an article
about exactly this-- http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/26/fashion/susan-cain-instigating-a-quiet-revolution-of-introverts.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur.
I guess it’s a good thing if introverts are finally being appreciated in the
workplace. But I have to wonder why we cannot all just ‘live and let live’,
generally in society and in the workplace specifically. I wrote a comment in
the article’s Comments section; to wit—“It would be great if we were all
allowed to be who we are--introvert, extrovert or somewhere in-between--and to
contribute accordingly in the workplace. Why must everything become a trend?
Extrovert last year, introvert this year. What's cool for next year? Why can't
we accept that people are different? We cannot all be the same--God forbid.
What a boring world that would be”.
I cannot understand why workplaces are so fickle and so
insecure. Some people do not want to be social all the time, or spend all their time in meetings; they simply
want some alone time to do the best job they can with the talents they are given. Do employers
actually think that if all employees were pure extroverts, or pure introverts,
that workplaces would be better places? These trends are the new flavors of the
month, and I’m betting that most employees are sick of them. Employees have had
extroversion pushed down their throats during the past decade, with no
consideration for whether that particular personality trait was even helpful or
good for them. I can attest to that; scientists have been pushed hard to sell
themselves and their research, in ways that seem so foreign to the profession. It’s
as though we were supposed to be salespeople selling a product. Frankly
speaking, I’m not sure you can just switch from one to the other at whim if you
are a true introvert or true extrovert. I happen to be one of those people who
does not believe we can just toss off our old coat and put on a new one at the
behest of our employers. One does not go from being an introvert today to being
an extrovert tomorrow; it wouldn’t matter to me how many motivational,
marketing or sales courses one attended. To some extent, we are the products of
our genes, and to some extent, our environment can modify their expression. I’m
not saying we can’t modify our behavior or personality traits, but I’m willing
to bet that most people understand whether they are more introverted or
extroverted from a young age, and choose their professions accordingly. I’d bet
also that sales and marketing professions attract more extroverts, while
research and laboratory professions attract more introverts. I’d need to see
the statistics on this though, before I could come to a reasoned conclusion.
The workplace needs introverts (those people who are
energized by being alone and whose energy is drained by being with other
people--see http://giftedkids.about.com/od/glossary/g/introvert.htm), extroverts (those people who are energized by being together with
other people--see http://giftedkids.about.com/od/glossary/g/extrovert.htm), and all those who define themselves as in-between (those who
have the qualities of both). I fall into the latter category, which certainly
seems to include the majority of people. After some searching online to find
out what these people are called, the word ambivert
popped up--someone who exhibits qualities of both introversion and
extroversion. I am an ambivert—I enjoy (and need) my quiet alone time as a
scientist, but also the social interactions at work. I enjoy (and need) my
quiet alone time at home, but also the social interactions with family and
friends. When it comes to social interactions, I prefer to have the element of
choice—to choose how, when and where I will be social. I cannot be around
people or talk to them every second of every day; I have no desire to be ‘on’
all day, every day. I need to be alone at times in order to recharge my
batteries; and sometimes I need to be with others in order to do the same. It
seems to balance itself out rather nicely for the most part.
Even with these definitions though, we need to stop ‘labeling’ people in the workplace (and in
society too), and let employees contribute how best they can. It makes no sense
to force a true introvert into an extrovert’s role, or vice versa. You will
only create fearful, stressed and unhappy employees. I think the time has come
to appreciate employees for their uniqueness and unique ability to contribute
in the ways that make them feel comfortable. I’m not saying employees shouldn’t
be challenged, but those challenges should have more to do with the framework
of their work projects (e.g. giving them more responsibility within the
confines of the project) and less to do with their personality traits.
