Introverts Among Us.....SSShh, We're Trying To Think
Posted on March 22, 2011 by Victoria Raphael, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
Introverts are not necessarily shy, retiring types. Introversion is a personality type made of people who recharge their energy by going within.
We’re here….. Introverts are all around.
We aren’t always noticed because everyone else is too busy making noise while we are deep in thought solving the world’s problems.
One of the hardest places to function as an introvert (and stay sane) is the workplace….especially if you earn your living in corporate America. That was me not so long ago. I was an introvert trying to keep it together in a cubicle. I had to be on the phone having serious discussions with potential clients, but I had to do it amidst the conversations all around me, tomfoolery (I love that word), a guy who drummed on the desk next to me, and an overflow of traffic from a group of nearby conference rooms. Add that to a lunchroom down the hall where people often shouted, whooped, and whoo-hooed when they held departmental ”pep rallies.”
Each evening after this I arrived home numb and feeling like I had had the life sapped out of me. My normal activities went from the microwave, to the sofa, to the bed…..then out of bed the next morning to start all over. The perfect prep for the day was the bus ride downtown….. little space, loud cell phone conversations and residual noise from I pods ( I though ear phones were supposed to eliminate this), finally on to the office where I felt like I was back in high school home room as people got their days started.
The unique talents of introverts (ability to hold focus, to think deeply, to relate well in one-on-one situations, etc.) are often undervalued in the corporate workplace. The over-stimulation in the environment can sadly render us invisible when we need to retreat to recharge the battery. In turn we are perceived as uninterested, inefectual, or as not being team players (heaven forbid.) Its a world where the squeaky wheel gets the oil, even if the squeak has no substance….and the introvert is easily overlooked while actually coming up with something profound. At that point everyone is then surprised at the brilliance of the office introvert. Too many people equate quiet with inactivity, not thought.
As we are over a quarter of the population and our talents are often under-utilized, I say there is some serious need for coaching in the workplace……for the introverts themselves on surviving/coping with the insanity and for the employers on making way for the needs of the introvert who wants to make his rightful contribution. Introverts need a certain degree of quiet, space to think, time WITHOUT other people, and a reasonable amount of flexibility in creating their own structure. Since most of us just need a phone and a computer to get our work done, companies should offer more options for working at home. My company didn’t do this, but now I work at home building my coaching career and I am so much happier….and healthier. Introverts are a RESOURCE. We should not be dismissed or have our gifts wasted. In this age of “political correctness” we are probably one of the last “minorities” whose needs have not yet been addressed. As a fellow coach suggested we need to have an Introvert Pride day. Anyone interested?
