Essay Assignment: Introvert Leaders
When people think of a stereotypical leader, they often conjure up the image of a dynamic public speaker, a forceful and dominant personality, and someone who can cultivate relationships with a broad number of people. These are all hallmarks of the extroverted personality type, so it's often been the case that extroverts rise to leadership positions more readily than introverts.
However, some question whether the social dominance and ability to command attention shown by extraverts might make them less effective leaders in certain ways. In particular, extroverts may be less likely to take advice from followers. One study investigated how quickly groups of college students could fold shirts in 10 minutes. Each group had a leader who was cued to be either extroverted or introverted. The introverted leaders took more advice from their proactive followers, and this led the groups with introverted leaders to be more effective. Thus, even though there are cases where introverts are less successful as leaders, in some conditions, they are more effective. Others note that introverted leaders can be better than extroverts at one-on-one interactions, empathy, and deliberate decision making.
Are there business executives who break the extroverted leader mold? One successful introvert is Google co-founder Larry Page, well known for developing a small number of close relationships and being an excellent chief. Colgate-Palmolive CEO Ian Cook might feel uncomfortable in front of large groups of people he doesn't know, but he has learned to partner with more extroverted colleagues for presentations to offset his natural shyness.
CEO Mike Duke is famously low-key and reserved, but he has utilized his natural introvert skills of managing details and engineering solutions to maintain the retail giant's dominant market position. These examples show that although extroverts might get all the attention, introverts can still make effective leaders.
Task
In an essay, respond to the following questions in any order you choose:
• In which kinds of situations do you think extraverts make more effective leaders than introverts? What unique introvert trait could make the extraverts more effective in those same situations?
• In which kinds of situations do you think introverts make more effective leaders than extraverts? What unique extravert trait could make the introverts more effective in those same situations?
• Are you more of an introverted or extraverted leader? What kind of changes can you make to take advantage of characteristics of the "other" style - whether it is extraversion or introversion? Which of your natural traits should you work to solidify and strengthen?
• Who is your favorite business leader? How would you describe this person's style? What elements from this person can you "borrow" to improve your own leadership abilities? Explain.
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.