Book Review – Quiet

By Susan Cain

I only learned I might be an Introvert last year… at 54 I think that it would have been handy to have learnt a lot earlier! However, with it only recently become vogue to identify at extrovert or introvert, I guess it is better late than never.

Reading Susan Cain’s ‘Quiet’ has been a journey into understanding introversion. Both my own, and to recognise how it works differently for every person.

If you were to ask anyone I work or am friends with what I am like, they will say gregarious, outgoing, and extroverted. And I can be. But what they don’t see is that after, when I have got home or off the call, I will need a good hour to myself, either walking in the woods or sitting on my patio. This isn’t a fault or problem, this is my way of processing information, of dealing with the surge of adrenaline that comes with my being the focus or part focus of a situation.

At work, an open plan office is not my idea of fun. I like quiet and if I am in with people I have the urge to be extroverted when all I should and want to be doing is focussing. I can’t do that in a group. Working by and for myself has taken the pressure needing to be that person and psychologically I am healthier for it. It means that when I do present or work with clients, I am able to think faster, to listen more carefully and to work with greater effectiveness and efficiency. Not everyone wants to climb the corporate ladder. Speaking for myself that is something I always shied away from. I love working in the background, sharing ideas and collaborating, supporting others.

I have learnt that while I can have fun with people, it is okay that I prefer evenings by myself with my cat and some crochet in front of the fire. That is my idea of a good evening! Dinner parties, any party is lovely, but I will always leave early as they exhaust me. I prefer a weekend in the hills to one in the city, and while out walking with my friends I will drop back or surge ahead to get some space before I rejoin and recommence the social shenanigans.

‘Quiet’ has given me some insight into how other introverts cope in a world where to be seen is increasingly important, whereas we tend to want to work behind the scenes. This is increasingly important for everyone to recognise as by understanding people and how they ‘work’, we get the best out of them and ourselves.

Recognising not everyone is comfortable in a crowded open plan office and that sometimes you will get the best out of your people by installing a policy of flexibility and/or working from home is being inclusive. Creating mini huddle offices where people can go work by themselves enables places people can go if they need some space and peace. This is not pandering or inclusivity gone mad, it is recognising how people work and helping them do what you ask of them. Introverts have skills that often go unnoticed in an extroverted world, so getting to know your staff, how they work, and what their skills are is key.

I thoroughly recommend reading this book. It is insightful, reflective, introspective, and if you are an introvert, you will find it a godsend! I am so happy to now have the understanding of why I work the way I do, and if you have introverts on your team, you are truly setting them up for success.