Strong introverts can be strong leaders

What were some challenges you faced as an introverted school leader?

The public-facing aspects of the role were often the most energy draining for me.

Being an upfront presence at assemblies and schoolwide events, networking with parents and other leaders and creating work–life balance for myself were among some of my greatest challenges. While I believe I was able to shine on many such occasions, many of the people I worked with did not realize the toll these challenges took on my energy levels and the time it took me to recuperate.  

What were some strategies you employed to ensure you were providing effective leadership?

To ensure that I was providing effective leadership, I needed to be very intentional. Understanding who I naturally am, I would typically attempt to be overprepared for public situations. For any event, I would create point-form speaking notes and attempt to anticipate potential questions or objections.

Additionally, one key strategy was to surround myself with excellent staff and colleagues. I empowered my teams to lead and make decisions in their own ways.

Doing so freed me up to listen, plan and meet with smaller groups as we moved our school forward.

Finally, knowing that it is often difficult for me to remember names when I meet people in public situations, every June I would have my admin support team prepare me a photo directory of staff and students. During July and August, as I ate my morning cereal, I would review and memorize the names of students and staff. Knowing the names of all students and staff made large group settings much more comfortable for me.

What strengths do you bring to leadership as a result of being an introvert?

I believe that as an introverted leader, I have the strengths of listening and observation. As a principal, I would often spend staff meetings or large group situations allowing others to speak while I sat back and took in all that was being discussed and debated. Doing so allowed me to have a better grasp of the struggles of our staff and permitted me to gain understandings that may not have been evident if I had done all the speaking. Using my listening skills to gain deeper understanding permits me to be a very strong problem solver, finding solutions that not only address the issues, but also ensure that staff feel supported and valued as we move forward.

Your role in PD involves a lot of presentations to members. How does being an introvert affect your ability to fulfill this requirement?

Somewhat ironically, even as an introvert, connecting with members and leading professional development in schools is still my favourite part of my job. I believe that I cannot use my introversion as an excuse; rather, I simply need to know how best to manage it. Before and after any presentation, I typically spend time alone reviewing my notes and reflecting on what we will be doing or have just done. I believe this reflection becomes part of my strengths as I continually strive to improve with every presentation.

To what extent did/do you feel a need to act out of character in order to be an effective leader and presenter?

While it is true that presenter/leader Chris is at times significantly different than the Chris you would meet when going out for dinner or sitting in my office, I don’t know that I would say he is acting out of character. I believe that all people are multifaceted, and while my natural inclination is to be with smaller groups of people, part of me loves connecting with and serving larger groups.

It is all about balance and knowing how to recharge. When I need to sneak away, my body will tell me by getting tired and my mind starts to wander, making it difficult for me to focus on the people in front of me and the conversations around me. When this happens, I have developed mechanisms that restore my energy. Going for a run or simply sitting quietly in my car listening to an audio book can do wonders to prepare me for larger group interactions. As long as I can balance large groups with smaller groups and alone time, I have not felt out of character as much as I have felt that I am developing strengths in an area that has long made me uncomfortable. 

Tips for facilitating meetings that work for introverts and extroverts 

1. Circulate an agenda in advance.
2. Discuss meeting preferences openly.
3. Collect input asynchronously.
4. Create an artifact (something tangible to refer to, such as a draft proposal).
5. Send out an advance poll.
6. Start with an icebreaker.
7. Pose questions to prompt answers.
8. Reinforce positive contributions.
9. Break into small groups.
10. Encourage and value written input.
11. Encourage anonymous contributions.
12. Make speaking optional, not mandatory.
13. Have a round of clarifying questions.
14. Nurture a supportive listening environment.
15. Give adequate processing time.
16. Make decisions after meetings, not during.

Source: https://www.parabol.co/blog/inclusive-meetings-introverts/Article republished with permission