Join us this Sunday, Oct. 26th to learn the secret lesson they didn’t teach you in school: how to thrive as an introvert in a work habitat designed for extroverts!
Phillip Richard, creator of www.workingquietly.com and I will be diving deep into the topic of introverts at work. Listen in to discover:
- How to release feelings of guilt and inadequacy at work
- The best way to quietly shine at work
- How to deal with chatty extroverts and other interruptions
- Strategies to cope with open office plans
Hi Michela,
I have been listening to your Sunday talks and following your blog. I feel much much better and at ease with myself. It’s such a reassurance to at times just know that there are other people like you. The most common tag I have receive is quiet. Right from my kindergarten years to my current workplace it has followed me all along. Over the years I have learnt to open up myself, be a little at ease with people n become slightly more sociable. However, I’m still the quiet one because what might have been enough conversation for my standard wouldn’t have been the same for an extrovert. I have just begun my career, in the marketing field. My natural inclination towards creativity, made me chose this. I manage to do my work fairly and interact when I am required to, when it’s work related. But I don’t socialize, and my colleagues are all extroverts and I constantly feel inferior. What would you suggest I do. My manager has too told me that I should and to grow in my current workplace I have to.
Hi Sonali. Marketing is a big part of what I do, so I understand that it is a very creative profession that introverts can thrive at. It’s too bad that you’re experiencing a lot of pressure to socialize at work. Sometime people need to hear things framed a different way to understand. You could tell your boss something like, “I do my best creative work when I stay focused. It’s hard for me to refocus if I spend a lot of time socializing at work.” If socializing really is important for your career advancement, you could find ways to socialize with colleagues one-on-one at lunchtime or outside of works – this is a more introvert friendly approach. 🙂
Aren’t open office plans proven to decrease productivity? If so, why do they have them?
You’re correct that there are conflicting points of view on the effect open office plans have on productivity. I am not in favor of them, because I know that personally I am more productive and creative in a quiet, distraction-free environment, which is a win-win for both the employee and employer.
That was part of the reason I decided to work for myself; doing do provides me the ability to completely structure my work environment the way I know works best for me and my clients 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Hi Michaela. I did a search for work-related articles and found this talk summary. Is there a way to make the replay available again – even for a short while? I have had difficulties in many typical office environments and extroverted workplaces, and am currently looking into finding a new, and hopefully better, fit elsewhere. I’d really like the benefit of these insights for my decision-making process. It involves moving across country, and a slight but persistent disability, too… (Severe ADHD. So, two reasons it’s hard to focus!). Thanks so much. 🙂
I will send it to you by email, Vanessa. 🙂