Michael Kimball, Hid in my shyness until college

Written Nov 14, 2015

It is possible for a shy, introvert who is afraid of speaking in front of people
to lead. If you want to lead you need to overcome your shy, introverted nature.
More importantly, you will have to want to lead more than you are afraid of peo
ple. It is a difficult thing to step away from the comfortable stagnation of bei
ng an introvert. It is easier to say that people don't like you before even tryi
ng. The only advice I can give is to believe in yourself and keep trying. As lon
g as you have a clear goal in mind and have devised steps to accomplish that goa
l, then it is simply a matter of clearing obstacles.
Here are some questions that I think would be helpful to ask yourself:
What do I want to accomplish as a leader?
Why do I want to accomplish these things?
What will being a leader allow me to do that I cannot do now?
What are the different parts of these skills/abilities? (e.g. Public Speaking -
speech writing, speaking, body control)
Can these be broken down further? (e.g. Speaking - pitch, vocal projection, pron
unciation, eliminating fillers)
How can I improve these specific skills? (e.g. pitch - do pitch exercises)
Marking clear goals is important for measuring your progress towards becoming a
leader. Make sure you reward yourself for your progress and test yourself in rea
l-world situations. Don't be afraid to ask people to help you with accomplishing
tasks. All this is scary now, but keep at it enough and it will seem like secon
d nature.
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Timothee Hoarau
Timothee Hoarau, IT Consultant
Written Nov 15, 2015
Of course!
Learn to follow leaders who inspire you in everyday life or in history.
What I learned is that to lead is to serve. And in order to serve you have to be
truly interested in people you want to lead.
As a shy, introverted person myself, I would say that you are very sensitive to
the world around you. Focus on that part by sharpening your senses (observation,
listening, ...). You can perhaps begin by noticing that leadership is everywher
e and takes different forms.
To regain a sense of your inner strengths, I highly recommend books like:
- Quiet by Susan Cain
- How to talk to anyone by Leil Lowndes
Begin to make mistakes, and see where it goes :)
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Joseph Miller
Joseph Miller, Pretty sick of Social Media
Written May 31
As others have said, the short answer is yes.
However, heres a question:
Why do you want to be a leader? Being a leader is not a good or a bad thing. Its j
ust a thing. If you want to be a leader because it seems like it will offset wha
t you see to be deficiencies in your personality, then I wouldnt pursue it. I have
 often seen people who had powerful jobs, were successful, engaging, the life of
the party, everything that seems like paradise to us introverts, but were miser
able.
Its very good to challenge yourself, and to stretch and grow as much as possible,
however, if you pursue dreams that are rooted in insecurities, you may well find
yourself in a position that wears you out mentally and depletes you. We are oft
en quite capable of doing things, and doing them well, that are not good matches
for us.
Find the area of life that excites you, motivates you, and fills you with energy
. those are the things that you will find fulfillment in.
A great leader often never seeks out a leadership position, its often thrust upon
him because others see his qualifications, and begin relying on him.
BE THE BEST VERSION OF YOURSELF THAT YOU CAN BE. Dont waste time trying to be some
one else. In other words, stretch yourself; grow. But dont chase someone elses ident
ity.
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Devon Kerns
Devon Kerns
Written Nov 16, 2015
Of course. There are many different facets of leadership. Modern society has ing
rained in us a hierarchical leadership style; however, leaders are not just the
people at the top willing to tell people what to do. Leaders can come from the g
roup. They can be the people holding an effort together making sure everyone wor
ks well with each other. They can be the people who quietly observe and then mak
e a great plan.
Unfortunately, you will have to overcome a bit of your stage fright in order to
communicate with others. This is just done through practice and willingness to
learn. I'm not saying you'll have to give a speech in front of a crowd, but you
will have to be able to hold meaningful conversations with individuals.
In the end, you determine what leadership style best fits you and don't forget t
hat you can always improve in some way or form.
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Rohan Davies
Rohan Davies, Experienced Leader | Leadership Coach | Co-Founder Teres Developme
nt
Written Nov 20, 2015
Certainly. there are lots of shy and introverted leaders. I've worked along side
alot of leaders over the years who would consider themselves introverted. Remem
ber, leadership is a process achieved through influence - not just vocally commu
nicating with followers. Being a process, like communication, it can be learned
and improved. Being based in influence, it has multiple different sources such a
s:
- Inspiring others by having a vision
- Setting the example
- Motivating followers through goal setting
- etc. etc.
To develop yourself into being a leader, you need to be committed. The challenge
s for you are to:
- Develop your leadership understanding, so you can believe your goal of being a
 leader is achievable (related to the Self-efficacy theory of motivation)
- Develop your understanding of introverted leaders. But, don't just focus on th
ose who are majorly successful. Its more motivating and educational to study int
roverted leaders who are more closely related to yourself (this is related to Vi
carious modeling).
- Improve your self-confidence. There are a lot of different methods you can use
to improve yourself confidence, start broad and fun to get the ball rolling. On
ce you're underway, start focusing in on activities which involve communicating
with others and then move onto those which make you communicate in front of othe
rs.
- Set clear leadership development goals and pursue them.
Everyone can be a leader. It just takes time, dedication and effort.
Good luck.
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Timon Klip
Timon Klip, Social Skill Coach | Green Building Specialist
Written Nov 18, 2015
Yes it is very well possible. But you need to develop yourself. Realize that you
have go gain skills and experience.
Being introvert, no problem. There are more introverted leaders who perform just
fine. You do need to learn to express yourself, at least professionals.
As for being shy. You can learn to overcome your shyness. Step by step, learning
and developing your confidence in social and communication skills.
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Ramesh Prasad
Ramesh Prasad
Written Nov 14, 2015
Best Case Scenario - you can be kind of like the person who rules everyone behin
d shadows.
I mean find someone really influential (who is not an introvert and likes public
speaking) and then influence him/her. This way you don't have to deal with peop
le and your ideas still reach the masses.
All Hypothetical.
I doubt you can be afraid of speaking in front of people and still lead. Who wil
l listen to you if you don't speak?
To lead you will have to give up being introvert and learn people skills. Period
.

Thanks to recent publications such as Susan Cain's Quiet: The Power of Introvert
s in a World That Can't Stop Talking, and her TED talk, which was viewed by more
than 5 million people, the portrayal of introverts is changing for the better.
Cain's work has spawned many positive articles about introversion, including thi
s one. We can benefit a great deal if we set aside our misconceptions about intr
overts, and take the time to truly evaluate the many gifts that introverts bring
to the table.
1. It's smart not to do all the talking.
Introverted leaders are generally considered to be better listeners. A study con
ducted by Francesca Gino, associate professor at Harvard Business School, reveal
s that quiet bosses with proactive teams can be highly successful, because intro
verted leaders carefully listen to what their followers have to say.
Extroverted leaders, on the other hand, can be a liability if their followers ar
e extroverts who like to take the initiative and make suggestions. This is becau
se extroverted leaders are generally less receptive to proactivity: As Gino puts
it, extroverted leaders often "end up doing a lot of the talking and not listen
ing to any of the ideas that the followers are trying to provide." They're more
effective with passive subordinates who are comfortable with being told what to
do.
If you're an extroverted leader, learn from your introverted counterparts and ho
ne your listening skills so you can carefully process and implement your team's
ideas.
2. Some quiet time alone is good for you.
In a meeting, while everyone is busy talking, introverts are busy processing the
ir thoughts. As clinical psychologist Laurie Helgoe states in Introvert Power: W
hy Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength, introverts have an "internal power?t
he power to birth fully formed ideas, insights, and solutions ... An introvert w
ho sits back in a meeting, taking in the arguments, dreamily reflecting on the b
ig picture, may be seen as not contributing?that is, until he works out the solu
tion that all the contributors missed."
One of the greatest advantages introverts have is their ability to stay focused,
where others around them might be distracted. They're generally not afraid of s
olitude because they know it's fruitful. It gives them opportunities for self-re
flection, thinking, theorizing, observing, planning or imagining, not to mention
reading, researching and writing. Our culture discourages time alone, but in ou
r noisy world, with its many distractions, we can get an edge if we carve out so
me time for solitude. It helps to minimize distractions and aids in staying more
focused. It improves our ability to think. Introverts can teach us a lot in tha
t regard.
3. A little humility makes you a better leader.
A 2006 Servant Leadership study, conducted by Jane T. Waddell of Regent Universi
ty, suggests that some of the virtues of servant leadership that we all admire a
re also attributes that are more likely to be found in those who have a preferen
ce for introversion. One of these virtues is humility. Servant leadership is cha
racterized by a primary desire to be of service to others and to empower followe
rs to grow. Servant leaders believe their company goals are best achieved by dev
eloping the potential of their workers. They're not self-seeking and interested
in grabbing the limelight. On the contrary, they want to shine the light on othe
rs in the pursuit of a greater purpose: the success of their organizations, proj
ects or ventures.
From introverts, we can derive inspiration to free ourselves from an egotistic a
pproach and instead devote our full attention to strengthening subordinates as a
way to build a solid footing for a thriving business. It takes humility to do t
his, but humility pays.
4. A calming demeanor is good for business.
Introverts are not only quieter than extroverts, but they're also generally calm
and collected. In noisy and chaotic organizations, which are often cauldrons of
emotion, an introvert's presence is like a salve to the psyche. Their quiet ene
rgy is a hidden asset. As Beth Buelow, author of Insight: Reflections on the Gif
ts of Being an Introvert, notes: "My energy tends to be a calming presence, whic
h means I dont take up too much space in a room or conversation. And I dont need to
take up a lot of space. I have a greater influence when I am intentional and del
iberate in my speech and presence."
The introvert's even temper creates a peaceful atmosphere that engenders trust a
nd safety for those around them. Trust, in turn, helps us do business more effec
tively. Staying stable and calm in all situations?cultivating equanimity and com
posure?are the hallmarks of introverts. These attitudes can radiate to others in
the workplace, and especially to customers. We can all sense when we enter a bu
siness if employees are on edge, which has a detrimental effect on our customer
relation experience. If the operative word is calm, the introverts among us can
teach us a thing or two.
5. Gathering a fistful of business cards doesn't create meaningful connections.
When we attend a conference or other networking event, we have a tendency to fli
t from person to person and collect many business cards. This is the antithesis
of what an introvert would do. As Cain says, introverts "prefer to connect one-o
n-one and around an issue they find important. So while an extrovert might atten
d an event and end up chatting with everyone, an introvert might attend an event
, and have a few one-on-one conversations."
Introverts might meet just one or two people, but they make a more meaningful co
ntact with these people and have, therefore, an opportunity of building a relati
onship.
Bruna Martinuzzi is the founder of Clarion Enterprises Ltd., and the author of t
wo books: Presenting with Credibility: Practical Tools and Techniques for Effect
ive Presentations and The Leader as a Mensch: Become the Kind of Person Others W
ant to Follow.
Read more articles on leadership skills.
Photo: Getty Images