Marissa Guzman

LIS707
Leadership Paper

Over time, it has been obvious that there are two different types of people in the world.

Some could even argue that there are more than two types, but we will stick with the two for

now. The two different types are what we know today as introverts, which are those people that

are considered to be reserved or shy. The other one is what we know today as extroverts, which

are those people who are more outgoing or the ones that are considered to be the life of the party.

For some time, people never knew what these two types meant. When they became more known

to people, they each started to explain a little bit on how each person acts in public, how they

react to their feelings and how they observe those around them. Introverts have also been

explained by many people that they choose to miss social gatherings, family parties, and going

out all in exchange for a quiet night in with their favorite book. “Participants described introverts

as not being a social animal, having trouble going to external events, liking to work alone,

observing and watching people, and hibernation and isolating” (Stephens-Craig et al., 2015).

Some of these characteristics are what causes people to think that introverts would not be the

right fit to be a good leader. However, as we will soon find out, this is not the case. On the other

side, extroverts prefer to go out, to be around huge crowds, being the life of the party and would

rather do anything else besides being in the house by them self and reading a book. These are

just some examples on how extroverts and introverts are able to self-regulate their emotions and

make sure that their individual cup is filled.

It would be difficult to say that every single person in this world needs to be labeled as

either an introvert or extrovert because labels are overrated and do not actually define anything.

However, children could benefit by knowing the common traits of an introvert or extrovert to
help explain why they make some of the decisions that they do. For example, by children

knowing if they are an introvert or extrovert, it could help explain why they do not raise their

hand to answer a question because they might be too nervous to talk in front of their classmates.

This could also explain why the same handful of kids are always answering the questions first or

why those kids always seem to act up while the teacher is trying to teach a new lesson. By

knowing some of these things from an early age, it could potentially lead children to conquering

some of their fears when they are younger. By doing so, this could lead kids to being able to

adapt to their surroundings and those situations that would normally be very stressful or even

uncomfortable to them. This could benefit them by preparing them for the future by already

having these skills to speak in public or voice their opinion in a way that they won’t be so

nervous to do so. According to Leader to leader, “Kahnweiler offers a variety of strategies for

introverted leaders: have a game plan, communicate early and often, match the medium to the

message, assert yourself, stand up to ‘talkers,’ and get your voice in the room” (2009). This is

another example how introverts can turn their weaknesses into strengths. This also teaches

people that there is no such thing as weaknesses but instead there are just ways for each of us to

improve ourselves.

Regardless if you consider yourself to be an introvert or an extrovert, we carry these

characteristics with us on a daily basis. This could potentially explain how we manage, work,

and do our daily activities through the lenses that we see each day. Within the book, ‘Quiet: The

Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking,’ Susan Cain does an amazing job at

explaining the difference between introverts and extroverts and how the world must take these

two types into the everyday life in order to be successful in all aspects of life. She explains how

extroverts are seen as the dominant ones in the world and especially in the working world.
However, she argues that introverts should continue doing what they do best. “They prefer to

devote their social energies to close friends, colleagues, and family. They listen more than they

talk, think before they speak, and often feel as if they express themselves better in writing than in

conversation” (Cain, 2012). Cain has a powerful explanation to explain how just because

someone is much louder than someone else this does not mean that they are automatically a

better candidate for a position. She also points out that these characteristics may be seen as

“weaknesses,” but these characteristics are actually strengths because they allow introverts to be

more Intune with their self and their emotions.

“The word introvert is stigmatized” (Cain, 2012). Susan Cain points out that many people

have different thoughts when they think/hear of the word’s introverts and extroverts. Some of

these examples were stated above. The truth is, not everyone is the same. Some people know this

already but that does not always mean that it is easy to remember this statement. With this being

said, everyone deals with their emotions, how they handle situations, how they process new

information and other things in their own way. This ties into the point that although some people

may have these thoughts about introverts as mentioned above, they are the ones who know the

most about their self. “Introverts tend to be driven by their interests and passions, naturally

organizing their lives around the things they love most to do” (Cain, 2012). If someone does not

like to go out to a party, then naturally they are not going to go because it makes them

uncomfortable. This also is a given that their friendships/close relationships would be around the

same as them so that they have some common interests. This shows one way why introverts are

good leaders because they are able to make their own decisions based off of their interests and

passions.
 Susan Cain points out “that 1/3 to 1/5 of the population are introverts. Which means that if

you yourself are not an introvert that chances are you are raising one, partnered with one, or

work with one” (2012). This leads to an article written by Douglas Lang where he explains how

different approaches to solving issues need to be more socially accepted because everyone is

putting their self out there and thinking outside the box. However, not everyone is ‘seen’ as

much as others are because they may be quieter than their peers when it comes to speaking up.

“Remind yourselves that you naturally bring many gifts to your role and it’s about time you (we)

stood up and ‘shouted’ about them” (Lang, 2014). This is to remind every single introvert out

there that they are meant to be a leader just as much as someone who is an extrovert is. Have you

ever heard that the best leaders are the ones who can shout the loudest or the ones that aren’t

afraid of anything? Although this might be true with some context, these two characteristics are

not the only ones that a good leader should have. Just because they may not be the loudest in the

room does not mean that they are any less of a leader then that person shouting and hyping up

their classmate, co-worker or friend. One main aspect is that introverts must start advocating for

their self in order to get the things that they want in life. This will not be an easy road for anyone

to take because in order to do so, introverts will have to go against some of the very things that

drain their energy. They must stand tall, cheer and be loud and network to others about their self.

This is another great explanation on how introvert leaders stand out from other leaaders. This is

one aspect on how introverts become the best leader that someone has ever had by spending time

observing their surroundings and coming up with strategies that allow them to have the best

outcome in the end.

Sometimes the things that scare us the most are in fact the very same things that lead us

to our success. This is where introverts come into play and use their ‘weaknesses’ as ways to
help them get better. In order to do so, introverts might have to step out of their comfort zones

and do things that might make them uncomfortable. However, sometimes when someone is put

to face their fears, this is when we see a new power within ourself that we did not know that we

had beforehand. “For introverted leaders, the trick is turning the weaknesses of introversion into

strengths--and to adopt the behaviors of extroverts when it is in their interest to do so” (Leader to

leader, 2009). This is a good explanation on how introverts are able to adapt to their

surroundings. This is an example of how introverts are able to be and become good leaders while

being introverted. By being able to adapt to the behaviors of extroverts, this allows introverts to

see a different side of a situation. Thus, leading introverts to solve a problem by thinking outside

of the box. This also allows introverts to think the entire process of a situation through instead of

just making a quick decision. Introverts are able to adapt and relate to other people in order to

give them what they need in order to succeed which is not always easy for a lot of people to do.

The word ‘leader’ means different things and the answer may vary depending on who

you ask. A lot of the times people will lead in ways that they prefer. Sometimes leaders can even

pick a way to lead based off of past experience that they did not enjoy too much. The

Information Services Manager at the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, Illinois prefers to lead

by example. They explained how it would be pointless to say one thing and then for them to do

the exact opposite of what they said. They stated how in the past at previous jobs that they would

often see leaders doing this exact thing. They would tell their employees one things and then not

follow through with what they said. The manager at the Elgin Library stated that they seen a lot

of confusion at that former place of work by their manager doing this. They said that they try and

explain everything the exact same way to their employees (old and new) so that there is never

any confusion on how to complete a task. They also stated how being able to recognize when
you are wrong about a situation is very important to have as a leader as well. Without being able

to admit that you are wrong, could potentially cause a lot of issues within the work field. This

could also lead to tension between co-workers, employees quitting and much worse. They stated,

“you are leading in every situation within the work field. So even if you make a mistake, how

you handle that mistake is also a lesson to those you manage.” One thing that they said that

really stuck out was “just because you are the leader, doesn’t mean that you know best.” Many

people would benefit from this advice in general but especially in their relationships between co-

workers because those relationships could be greatly improved if people admitted when they

were wrong and took the initiative to apologize.

In conclusion, the library used for the interviews was the Gail Borden Public Library in

Elgin, Illinois. This library was very helpful, professional and was the only library that

responded in a timely manner. The entire library staff was willing to help and answer any

questions that came to them. The Elgin Library also does a very good job at responding to email

and their text option that is available online. They not only get back to you very quickly, but they

also provide and tell you how to navigate to find the information that you are looking for. One

way that their leadership could be improved in the future is by having conversations or a system

setup in place for future students to come to them and ask questions for projects. For example,

maybe they can make it part of a staff rotation? They would get a list of employees who would

be interested in offering assistance to future or current MLIS students, whether this be for

homework assignments, potential job opportunities or anything else that may come up. This way

there would not be any question about who would want to help or if they need to get approval for

anything. This also would eliminate having to wait for a specific person or a manager to respond.
Whoever sees the request could reach out to the next person scheduled and then the situation

would be handled from there.

When asked about the communication preference that both interviewees preferred, their

responses were different. The manager of Elgin Library preferred written communication over

verbal. “He is able to express his ideas well in writing but often has difficulty communicating his

ideas verbally” (Nadel, 2008). They stated that they preferred written communication because it

was easier for them to put their thoughts and feelings onto the page. They also said that they

preferred written because it was easier to see what you were saying and change, fix or take things

back. They explained that with verbal communication, you aren’t really allowed to take back the

things that you said. Sure, you could apologize for something that you said but the words are still

out there and remembered by those people that you were talking to. Whereas with written

communication, you are allowed to process and think through what you are trying to say. The

other interviewee is a library associate and she stated that she preferred verbal communication

because it allowed her to see how the other person was feeling while they were talking. She

stated how it was easier to pick up on social cues and emotions through verbal communication

where with written communication this can sometimes be confusing to pick up on.

When asked what strengths were needed for this particular job, they both stated how you

needed to have good listening skills, being able to multitask, being able to listen to exactly what

the patron is asking/looking for, and that you needed to be able to handle people. One of them

stated that they really needed to work on their customer service skills when they got hired

because even though she thought that she had enough, she didn’t realize how much one needed

to talk and communicate with the members of the community. They were both also asked if they

found an exchange with a patron to be easier or harder depending on if the patron was an
introvert or an extrovert. They were also asked if they could identity if a patron was an introvert

or an extrovert as well. Although they both stated that they could indeed tell whether the patron

was an introvert or an extrovert, they said that neither exchange was easier or harder. However,

they each did state that their approach to help each patron was a little bit different. The manager

of Elgin Library stated that the exchanges got much easier after each patron they helped. They

stated that there were certain cues they picked up on in order to help the patron. For example, if

the patron seemed a little shy or uncomfortable to being asking a particular question, they tried to

get as much information as possible with less questions. They may ask one or two follow up

questions and the conversation would be over with before they knew it. On the other hand, if the

patron came up and was super energetic and full of detail or excitement, they were able to match

that same energy. By doing so, the conversation led to other topics that came up that ended up

helping the patron more than the manager thought it would. After completing the interviews, it

was relevant that people really appreciate their leader having compassion and empathy. They

each like to see their leader admitting that they are wrong and realizing when they have made a

mistake. They each stated that it was important for their leader to be the example of what they

expect their workers to be like. This way they would know exactly what their leader was

expecting of them and if they had any questions about something that they were supposed to do

then they could easily go to their supervisor and ask.

Throughout the course of leadership, the most important thing that stood out was the

whole idea around how just because you are a leader does not mean that you are a leader. It takes

more than just having the title of leader in order to be a true leader. This is very important to

remember and to be reminded of because sometimes people can get caught up in labels and

unfortunately this can determine how they do a job. Gretchen Steidle does a great job at
explaining how leading has to be something that comes from inside of each of us and has more

power to it from the individual than others realize. “Essentially, mindfulness helps us let go of

our egos, feel happier, be healthier, build better relationships and function better” (Steidle, 2018).

Many people need to give mindfulness a try and see how much it helps them. It could not only

improve how that individual deals with situations in their personal life, but it could also trickle

down into their professional life and personal life.

 References:

Cain, Susan. (2012). Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. Crown

Publishing Group/Random House, Inc.

Lang, D. (2014). Introverted Leaders - Time to Stand Up. New Zealand management 61.2

(2014): 26–. Print).

Leadership Strategies for Introverts. Leader to leader 2009.54 (2009): 59–60. Web.

Nadel, L. Introverted Intuitives: Managing Diversity in the Workplace. Interbeing (Burbank,

Calif.) 2.1 (2008): 1–. Print.

Steidle, G. (2018). Leading From Within: How Mindfulness Drives Effective Leadership and

Social Innovation. Leader to leader. 2018(89), 32-38. Leading from Within.pdf

Stephens-Craig, D., Kuofie, M., & Dool, R. (2015). Perception of Introverted Leaders by Mid to

High -Level Leaders. Journal of marketing and management 6.1 (2015): 62–. Print.

 Questions Asked for Interviews

 Are you more comfortable with verbal or written communication?

 Can you describe your leadership style?

 What skills do you think that a good leader should have?

 What strengths would you bring to this particular job?

 What does a good leader mean to you?

 Can you describe a time that you had a good leader?

 Can you describe a time that you had a bad leader?

 Who is leader that you look up to and why?

 Would you consider yourself to be an introvert or an extrovert?

 Within the library setting, do you think you come across more patrons that are introverts

or extroverts?

 Do you think one or the other is easier or harder to help?

 Do you find yourself drawn to people who are the same as you or is your group of friends

opposite of you?