Why Introverts Can Be Great Leaders

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Why introverts can be great leaders By Eliza Ridgeway for CNN c/div> STORY HIGHLIGHTS Introverted leaders tend to be more receptive to different ideas, new study says Their understated style can lead to improved team performance, according to Francesca Gino Businesses who don't value introverts can miss out, Gino says (CNN) -- Outgoing personality traits are often associated with top corporate roles, but new research suggests businesses miss out when they fail to find and promote executives with more understated styles. Harvard Business School researcher Francesca Gino has found that introverts can play a crucial role in leading teams. Many of the strengths that people associate with leaders, for instance being dominant or being good at giving directives, are often the same traits that characterize someone who is an extrovert, Gino told CNN. But in a forthcoming paper, she argues that when it comes to day-to-day teamwork in the workplace, less obvious leadership qualities can become more important. She and her collaborators asked bosses to rate how extroverted they considered themselves and then studied how their teams worked. They found that extroverts were more dominant, drove conversations and were less receptive to new ideas. Introverts, on the other hand, listened to ideas, internalized them and were able to improve team performance. Gino said that introverts demonstrate superior performance when they are leading a team of proactive workers. "If you're working in a team that has lots of knowledge, where people are proactive [and] suggesting ideas for improvement, you would do better for the team if you took a backseat position and took the approach of an introvert, who is very careful in listening to suggestions." Gino and her collaborators, Adam Grant from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and David Hofmann at University of North

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