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| The Mystery within... |
I continue to read Susan Cain’s book, “Quiet—The Power of
Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking,” and am fascinated by her report
of Harvard Business School’s preference for more extroverted students. She also cites management theorist, Jim
Collins’ study of the best performing companies of the late 20th
century:
“Collins hadn’t set out to make a point about quiet
leadership. When he started his
research, all he wanted to know was what characteristics made a company
outperform its competition. He selected
eleven standout companies to research in depth.
Initially he ignored the question of leadership altogether, because he
wanted to avoid simplistic answers but when he analyzed what the
highest-performing companies had in common, the nature of their CEO’s jumped
out at him. Every single one of them was
led by an unassuming man… Those who
worked with these leaders tended to describe them with the following
words: quiet, humble, modest, reserved,
shy, gracious, mild mannered, self-effacing, understated.”
“The lesson, says Collins, is clear. We don’t need giant personalities to
transform companies. We need leaders who
build not their own egos but the institutions they serve.”
Another fact that stood out for me is the employees of these unassuming leaders were more often motivated to think for themselves and offer their thoughts in a more accepting atmosphere. It is clear to me the dynamic of more interaction and
contribution sourced in diversity is the foundation for success, not just for a
company, but for a country, and all of life.
I have to wonder if the growing divide between the haves and the have
nots in America is exacerbated by our 21st century discrimination
toward introverts?
What if we all understood the importance of the many facets
of diversity more often?
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