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My name is Molly, and I am an introvert.<\/p>\nMy name is Molly, and I am an introvert.<\/p>\n
There, I\u2019ve said it. Few of my colleagues or acquaintances would believe it. My job as Social Business Director at 1000heads demands some of the most \u2018extroverted\u2019 activities you can imagine \u2013 speaking at international conferences, running training programmes for clients, internal evangelism \u2013 activities that demand constant sociability and public gregariousness. And I love it. I absolutely love it.<\/p>\n
But those who know me well also know that I regularly retreat into \u2018Molly zone\u2019, craving time alone to think and work. I will book out meeting rooms to escape open plan intrusion. After a long day of interaction, I will more often than not run away to spend time with a book rather than join others for beers.<\/p>\n
How does this square with the \u2018always on\u2019 social approach that I am encouraging businesses to adopt? In a world \u2013 not to mention an industry \u2013 where collaborating and speaking out have become moral dictates, how do those of us who get our energy from within not only survive but thrive?<\/p>\n
These are questions I\u2019m fascinated with right now. I\u2019m putting a lot of energy into helping clients create environments and strategies that nurture their introverts too. Being social is not the same thing as being an extrovert,<\/strong> but many companies are making exactly that equation, and as a result it\u2019s the people who shout the loudest and longest, not those with the best ideas or execution, who are getting their voices heard.<\/p>\n I saw Susan Cain talk about her new book Quiet: The Power of Introverts In A World That Can\u2019t Stop Talking<\/a><\/em> at Oxford Literary Festival. It\u2019s a fantastic read; at the very least I\u2019d recommend taking twenty minutes to watch her TED Talk below.<\/p>\n