Business Chemistry

What about Introverts and Extroverts?

An Introvert and an Extrovert walk into a conference room. They sit across the table from each other. Then the Extrovert says”

Does it really matter what the Extrovert says? Maybe not according to Steve Schloss, CHRO and Chief People Officer of the United States Golf Association: “Even if what the Extrovert is saying is likely incorrect, this individual is likely to win the day in that given conversation because the Introvert chose to listen, process, observe, and maybe come back at a later point.” Steve said this during one of our favorite Business Chemistry Confessions podcast episodes. And while it sounds a bit like a joke, it describes a scene we've witnessed in real life many times. An Introvert pauses before speaking, and then never gets a chance to speak at all as the conversation barrels ahead.

But Steve isn't advocating for an Extrovert style over an Introvert style. In fact, he says later in the same podcast episode, “If you want applause, you can speak all you want, but if you want results, you have to listen.” We love the pairing of these two quotes together because it highlights the importance of having a balance between styles. If you pause too long before speaking up, you lose, but if you talk too much, you lose as well. Unless, ...