It seemed to Gary that offices are constructed and organized to favor the extrovert. As an introvert, he finds open office spaces draining. And meetings with rapid give and take showcase extroverts’ social skills, but frustrate him as he takes time to think.
Gary determined to build on his own strengths in the office. While outgoing people gain energy from being around others, Gary knew he gains energy from solitude and quiet reflection on ideas. Gary values the introverts in his office because they can focus more easily—and quite often, produce more of value. Read on to learn how Gary successfully conveyed his value to others by effectively navigating office politics.
How to Shine as an Introvert in Office Politics
Gary began drafting up a list of ways he could maximize his potential as an introvert in a busy, dynamic workplace culture. Here is Gary’s list of six ways introverts can build a strong reputation for themselves in the world of office politics.
1 – Connect with Ideas.
Instead of joining others as they talk about sports, movies or people, Gary starts a conversation about ideas. He finds common ground with other people when he focuses on thinking topics, not social events.
2 – Understand Yourself.
Gary recognizes his need for quiet and regeneration. Especially when surrounded by a wide range of personalities, he works best without distractions.
In Harvard Business Review, he learned about a study that showed introverts respond better to problem-solving when the background noise level is lower. Extroverts perform better in the presence of louder noises.
Gary made sure his boss understood that he would be more productive when he had quiet and solitude to focus. At the same time, he recognized that others may find synergy in large group discussion. They both made sure the team knew he needed long stretches of focused time when his door would be closed, but that he could talk with coworkers during set windows of time.
3 – Be Comfortable Being You.
Gary determined to speak up to put what works for him into practice. When necessary, he requests time in an unused conference room so he can have total silence. Often he suggests meetings hold a few key players instead of multitudes. When he sets up a meeting, he invites only the most essential people. Thus, the meetings he runs tend to stay on track and achieve their goals.
Gary got his boss to try “brainwriting” in place of some brainstorming sessions. In brainwriting, each person writes an idea on a given topic on a piece of paper and passes it to the person next to them. Once a paper has four to five ideas, the group stops to discuss them. This technique gives all thinkers a better chance to respond. “It’s really helped me add value to the group,” Gary says. “And even the vocal members like it. They get to shine when we discuss it.”
Before a meeting, Gary always requests an agenda ahead of time, if it hasn’t already been emailed to the group, and plans out the thoughts and ideas he wants to share. He helps others to get in the habit of sending out agendas at least a day in advance.
4 – Develop Relationships Your Way.
Socializing sometimes seems like a waste of time, but Gary recognizes that we all need relationships. He schedules 30–45 minutes each day to visit other people. He just stops by and says hi. “That small talk builds bridges,” he says.
What extroverts call “networking” or “selling yourself,” Gary renames. “Consider it ‘having a conversation’ or getting to know someone and letting them get to know you,” he says. “Choose your environment. I like one-on-one or small groups. And dropping in on others really works for me, because I’m choosing the context of the interaction. I’m not just throwing myself into a busy break room.”
5 – Be Fully Present for 10 Minutes.
When you are with other people, totally focus on them and what’s important to them for a full 10 minutes. “I find I can focus for that 10 minutes,” Gary says. “Then I feel free to move on. When you use your strength in focusing by directing it toward others, you make them feel valuable and important. This builds relationships and trust.”
6 – Be Confident in Your Strengths.
Gary learned to value the great strengths he brings to the office. Studies show that introverts tend to rise to the top in team building because others value their focus and productivity. Many of the great creative people have had a more private personality.
Less outgoing people make great leaders. Being highly reflective, they are typically willing to listen to others’ ideas. “I think I encourage others to use their strengths by letting them run with an assignment,” Gary says. “Introverts are often less likely to feel they must put their stamp on the project. We know what it’s like to feel unseen, so we want others to have the chance to shine!”
Workplaces perform best with a blend of personalities. Each brings their own strengths to the mix. “As you come to trust your strengths and grow comfortable seeking ways of becoming your most creative, impactful, and productive, you will thrive,” Gary says. “Then office politics are no longer a struggle for the introvert. Others will see how you shine, and you’ll have the respect of all those around you.”
In Gary’s case, the office politics of his workplace were fairly healthy. In other cases, introverts face a two-pronged challenge: building their own reputation while actually shifting the dynamics of their workplace culture. We’ll take a look at that challenging situation in the following section.
Taking Action to Shift Office Politics
Mary Ann is caught in a downward spiral. She manages a department for a mid-sized manufacturing company, and the atmosphere at work has become so negative lately that she hates going to work—at a job she used to love. She knows it’s time to confront the office politics. However, she would rather avoid any conflict or confrontation necessary to resolve these issues.
“Office politics,” in and of itself, is neither positive or negative. It simply refers to how we network and interact with other human beings in our workplace. But office politics can pose a real challenge in workplaces that don’t have the most supportive culture. A recent study by Perkbox found that 37% of employees commonly experience stress related to office politics. If you find yourself in a workplace with an unhealthy culture, office politics can be very difficult to navigate.
Harmful office politics can take many forms:
- An unhealthy sense of competition that leads people to avoid collaboration, fail to share the limelight, or even claim credit for one another’s work.
- Gossip among colleagues that leaves people feeling embarrassed and isolated.
- Favoritism displayed by leaders that leaves talented employees underutilized and dissatisfied.
Left unchecked, these harmful forms of office politics can sabotage an entire team or company. They make a workplace a very unpleasant place to be, robbing people of reaching their full potential—exactly what Mary Ann has been experiencing. She could keep trying to just shrug it off, but instead, she decides it’s up to her to turn things around. She embarks on a mission to figure out what’s happening and why. This is a difficult task for her and most introverts handling office politics, but she laid out a plan that had three simple steps.
1 – Isolate Trouble Spots.
Mary Ann began to observe her environment more closely so she could see where the negative sentiments were coming from. If you’re in a similar situation, ask yourself: Is top management modeling this negative vibe? Are people only focusing on what hasn’t been done, instead of appreciating what has? Is the negative sentiment coming from a single source or multiple sources? Mary Ann determined that hers was a departmental issue, based on the demands of a fast-growing business, plus the volume and pace of work. They were constantly being critical of their work output, and leaders modeled this harmful attitude. Everyone felt demoralized, which led to a lot of finger-pointing and scapegoating.
As an introvert, Mary Ann’s ability to step back and observe what was happening, then reflect on it to get at the root of the issue, gave her invaluable insight into the problems at hand. If you’re an introvert, you might find you’re also uniquely positioned to evaluate what’s happening in your own workplace.
2 – Take It Public.
Mary Ann’s next move was to bring the problem out in the open. She first discussed what she was experiencing with her boss, because she knew that management needed to be aware of the issue and to know that she was working to resolve the problem. This proved a bit tricky, since her boss was one of the very people who needed to correct their behavior! But Mary Ann was sensitive yet forthright, focusing on how they could do better—in short, providing “feed-forward” rather than “feedback.” She articulated what healthier changes could look like, emphasizing that she knew the problem had very real causes that lay outside of their control—but that the solution rested firmly in their hands.
Next, she called an all-hands meeting. She shared her observations and asked people to express their feelings. She knew that whatever is bringing people down, whether it’s a disagreement between two team members or a mini-rebellion against work overload, a frank discussion of the situation is the first step toward resolving it. Leading the meeting took some courage, but she knew she was the only one prepared to take the reins on this important matter.
3 – Accentuate the Positive.
In the meeting and afterward, Mary Ann continued to emphasize the department’s strengths and how they could leverage them to overcome the hurdles they were facing. To the demoralized team, her conviction in this viewpoint felt like a breath of fresh air. People began to feel their sense of motivation being restored. When she heard a negative self-criticism of their team, she’d point out the incredible strengths they could use to surmount the problem. The certainty she displayed in her ideas rubbed off on the rest of the team. Things didn’t change overnight, but Mary Ann had changed, and her views continued to change others. To quote Mahatma Ghandi, she had vowed to “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
With every person she spoke with in the coming weeks, from one-on-ones to team meetings, Mary Ann found out what was going well. She focused on that, giving praise where it was due. She took care to speak positively about her own work, showing her passion for her latest projects. In meetings with her boss, she highlighted all the things that she and others were doing well. Again, quiet reflection time gave her plenty to say about this. She took five minutes a day to write down all the things that she personally was doing well, along with the positive efforts of her direct reports and colleagues. And she even convinced her boss to hire an executive coach who could give leaders the tools to motivate their people again!
Mary Ann’s boss expressed gratitude for the reality check she’d given them—and Mary Ann’s leadership in this difficult situation did not go unnoticed. Her boss advocated strongly for her advancement in a meeting of high-level leaders, and Mary Ann received the promotion. Her positive, motivational attitude was just the solution to problems they’d been experiencing throughout the company, it turned out.
Like Mary Ann, when you begin to feel positive, you’ll act positive and the feeling will spread. Her department didn’t change overnight, and yours won’t either, but the actions of one dedicated person can catalyze a transformation. The negative attitudes brought on by office politics can spread faster than the common cold. The sooner you start treatment, the sooner you, and everyone else, will begin to feel better.
If office politics are creating a negative environment in your workplace, Joel has some suggestions for you—and lots more advice just for introverts. Contact him to start solving your problems today.
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