Managing Up

2Is Your Boss an Innie or Outie?

“The principle to remember is that all dualities and opposites are not disjoined but polar. They do not confront each other from afar; they originate in a common center.”

—Michael Michalko

One of the first and best things you can do to manage up is to understand whether your boss is an introvert (an Innie) or an extrovert (an Outie) and then adapt your communication and interaction style accordingly. Why is this important? Because extroversion and introversion are core personality preferences that have an impact on two very important workplace elements: source of energy and source of communication style. Building and maintaining a successful working relationship with your boss requires communicating effectively and making sure you are working with their source of energy and not against it. In other words, are you going to be a boon to their energy level or a drain?

Understanding the Innie and Outie Preference

Introversion and extroversion are personality traits and preferences that are characterized by the following:

• Source of energy

  Are you energized from within (your own thoughts) or from external sources (such as other people)? Introverts energize from internal stimuli. Extroverts energize from outside stimuli.

• Direction of energy

  Are you focused more on the inner world of ideas and images or on the outer world of people and things? Introverts focus inward. Extroverts focus outward.

• Response to external stimulation

  What is the level ...