How to unleash quiet powers (4 Proven Tips)
“There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.” ― Susan Cain
Why it works
Susan Cain (pictured above) is a renowned author and speaker best known for her influential work on introversion and the power of quiet people in a loud world. After starting her career in law and corporate negotiation, Cain eventually turned her attention to the quieter aspects of personality, challenging the extrovert-dominant ideals that shape modern culture.
In 2012, she published her first book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. It became a global bestseller that shifted the way society views introversion. The same year, Cain gave a TED talk on “The Power of Introverts.” Being an introvert herself, she was anxious an entire year before the talk. To deal with her anxiety, she joined the public speaking club Toastmasters — and worked for six full days with an acting coach immediately before the talk.
In the end, it worked out well. Cain’s talk became one of the most popular TED talks ever, with almost 35 million views. Her work has profoundly impacted how we perceive introversion, popularizing the idea that introverts are not simply shy or withdrawn. Instead, they’re thoughtful, creative individuals with highly valuable and versatile strengths. As you can see in the infographic below, these include the power to listen well, stay calm, feel empathy, think independently, focus deeply, think critically, and see details. Here are 4 proven tips to unleash these powers in your team.
How to do it
1) Provide private desks and silent places
Designate private and silent areas where introverts can focus deeply without distractions. In other words, create hideaways for them. Hideaways generally come in two types. The first type is physical and includes offering a dedicated location, like a quiet room or desk. The second is mental, most notably by encouraging the use of noise-canceling headphones in the office. You can learn more about hideaways in this article.
2) Offer less crowded work times
Apart from creating a space and culture that allows introverts to work privately, ensure that people are not required to attend meetings all day. While important and necessary, meetings can drain energy from introverts, especially if scheduled too frequently. And since our motivation and focus peak 30 minutes, 3 hours and 11 hours after waking up, keeping the early and late parts of the workday (before 10 am and after 4 pm, say) meeting-free is a powerful rule to have as a leader. Delve deeper into why and how here.
3) Support working from home
The rise of remote work has shown that working from home can be a game-changer for productivity — especially for introverts who thrive in quieter, more controlled environments. Here’s how: first, give clear and explicit permission for employees to choose remote work without feeling pressured to always be present in the office; second, encourage them to take proper lunch and recovery breaks rather than working non-stop (here’s how); and third, set guidelines for when work hours should end – and emphasize that it is okay to check out of work during evenings or weekends.
4) Respect their time alone
Respecting introverts’ need for solitude is crucial for fostering productivity and well-being. One effective way to do this is for leaders to model behavior demonstrating the importance of uninterrupted time. One role model is Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke. “We don’t burn out people. We give people space”., he said in a 2019 interview with Business Insider. Lütke is especially deliberate about focused work: "For creative work, you can't cheat. My belief is that there are five creative hours in everyone's day. All I ask of people at Shopify is that four of those are channeled into the company".
In a world that often celebrates the loudest voice, remember this:
True power can reside in silence. So empower the quiet members of your team.
And please share this post with one person who might benefit from doing the same.
Until next week,
Christian
2 more ways I can help you
1) Becoming Ultraproductive 1:1 Coaching Program
Are you struggling to focus on the important work being busy with urgent stuff? Are you feeling tired throughout the day despite sleeping for 7 or 8 hours at night? Are you having trouble dealing with high stress at work – and “switching it off” at home?
If so, check out our new Becoming Ultraproductive 1:1 coaching program. In it, I help executives, entrepreneurs and CEOs increase their productivity 10x by building rock-solid habits for deep focus, deep sleep, and mastering stress.
That way, I’ve coached 60+ executives, entrepreneurs and CEOs on Becoming Ultraproductive since 2023. The program includes:
6 individualized one-on-one coaching sessions with me over 12 weeks
Tailor-made habit systems to optimize your focus, sleep and stress
A guaranteed 100% increase in productivity (not kidding)
Interested? Learn more and get in touch here while you can. I’m only taking on 10 clients at a time and seats are booking fast.
2) Becoming Ultracreative 1:1 Coaching Call
There are 800 million users on LinkedIn, and 99% of them aren't creators. Translation? There has never been a better time to become a thought leader through LinkedIn.
The platform is ready for you to quickly build your distribution, monetization and recognition – thus becoming Ultracreative. My co-author Eric Partaker and I noticed this while coaching hundreds of entrepreneurs, executives, and CEOs. We were able to achieve the following in just 12 months:
A 1+ million audience
A 7-figure business around it
A book deal with Portfolio Penguin
Most importantly, we’ve deconstructed what it takes to help you become Ultracreative, too — and packaged it into a 90-minute 1:1 coaching call. Learn more and book your call here.
PS: Interested in sponsorships for my newsletter and LinkedIn post?
Get in touch with me here.