Use Your Introvert Superpower!

Hi, my name is Stella and I am an introvert. At the workplace, colleagues know me as the quiet one while my boss feels that I should speak up more. But they also know that I have a few tricks to get the job done.

Why? Because I have introvert superpowers.

Let’s back up a little here – you should know by now that the world is generally divided into two groups of people – introverts and extroverts (let’s leave out the grey area for this article, shall we? But if you want to read all about people who are neither an introvert or an extrovert, read this). Fun fact: Both terms were coined by the famous psychologist Carl Jung in the 1920s! As a quick way of defining both, introverts are deep in thoughts and generally prefer their own company while extroverts are on the other spectrum where they thrive being the centre of attention and derive their source of energy from being around people.

At the workplace, you can easily see who belongs to which camp: The extroverts are the one constantly asking people to join them for lunch and are usually the loudest while the introverts, well, they much prefer to eat lunch on their own and are most likely to have their earbuds in.

It’s easy to think that because of their personality, introverts hardly contribute to meetings (shy), don’t have much of an opinion (don’t want to rock the boat), and lack self-confidence (reserved). But don’t let that fool you! Sure, introverts are more likely to hang back in the background; however, I’ve realised that my introversion can be a strength and not a weakness at the workplace!

Here's how my introvert superpowers will come through at work:

#1 I get the work done
Not saying that extroverts are slackers but when an introvert has a task, he or she makes sure that the task gets done on time so they can go home and enjoy the introvert things they want to do. A lot of time is also wasted at work with making small talk, meetings that go over time for no reason, or just idling around not getting work done. Five minutes here, 10 minutes there – before you know it, the day is done and nothing is completed!

Not with my introvert superpower – since introverts mostly avoid small talk and social gathering, I am more likely to stick to the task at hand. In fact, I’ve turned down a few invites to go get coffee simply because I’d much rather be at my desk, doing my thing.

#2 I have awesome problem-solving skills
One thing introverts are, they are thoughtful and spend a lot of time analysing. Many say I am a deep thinker and I attribute that to my introverted ways. After all, introverts are fond of looking inwards, and not outwards to things that don’t really matter.

When faced with a challenge or a stressful situation, an introvert is more likely to be calm and perceptive over the situation instead of wanting to talk it out with someone else. In fact, it’s been said that because of the way introverts are wired, their brain is perfectly geared for problem solving as we are more likely to excel in critical thinking and measured response!

#3 I work well alone
It’s a good thing if you need to really get down to business. There’s no waiting around for someone else’s input or trying to regroup to get the report out. Instead, an introvert thrives as a solo worker. Pop on our headphones and we get right to it.

Don’t get me wrong though – as an introvert, I can also contribute when needed in discussion as well as work in a team. But you can count on me as a teammate to get my part done when I say I would.

#4 I am pretty much self sufficient
Since we’re talking about working well alone, introverts like myself don’t require a lot of supervision to get a task done. We rely on ourselves and our skills to complete a goal. Oftentimes, I’ll work hard by myself to figure out a solution rather than go to someone to talk it out for way too long.

#5 I’m not defensive!
Not saying that extroverts are but when other people’s opinion of you matters a lot, you’re more likely to be reactive when you get less than favourable feedback. Not an introvert though – we mostly stay out of people’s business and don’t get involved in office drama. And when we get feedback that we don’t necessarily agree with? We’re less likely to challenge you about it but more likely to accept it as a constructive criticism and see how we can improve on it. No ego there!

Are you an introvert too? Share some of your introvert superpower with us @Graduan!

Photo by Gabriel Meinert on Unsplash.