#1 - Welcome to the Powerful Introvert Newsletter
Declare yourself an introvert, meet an introverted leader, navigate an offsite and board meeting simultaneously, & more.
read time 6 minutes
Today at a Glance
Introduction
Newsletter #1
Idea: declare yourself as an introvert
Interview: an introverted leader in tech
Research: our top 6 challenges
My story: an offsite and a board meeting
Update: what’s new with PI?
Introduction
Powerful Introvert (PI) is a podcast and newsletter dedicated to the idea that introverts possess immense, untapped potential as leaders. It’s designed for aspiring and current introverted leaders who want to expand their influence while staying true to themselves at work.
My mission is to accelerate the Quiet Revolution: away from leadership models that overvalue extroversion, toward a more inclusive approach that supports diverse personality styles and voices.
Why a podcast?
You can catch my whole spiel on Episode 1 of the podcast. But the TL;DR is that I want these ideas, stories and voices to be heard—out loud. There’s already fantastic work on this subject, from books to blogs to research. I want to bring the actual voices and stories to life.
Why a newsletter?
I need this—and you—to keep me focused and accountable for my mission. It’s time to start sharing insights from interviews, research, my experiences as an introverted leader, and my journey building Powerful Introvert as a platform.
I’m committing to a weekly writing cadence and promise to keep things brief and engaging. Let me know how I’m doing!
Newsletter #1
Declare yourself as an introvert
Douglas Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup Company and an unabashed introvert, advises to “declare yourself” right away. In his words:
“When I was nearly fifty, I began to realize that the best thing for me to do was tell everyone with whom I worked the simple truth-I’m just shy.” [Kahnweiler, p.13]
“One of the best ways I’ve found to help people overcome their discomfort around my behavior is to simply declare myself. I tell them, ‘If you see me looking aloof, please understand that I’m shy, and I need you to call me out.’ By declaring myself in this way, I’ve found other people quickly, and compassionately, adapt to my style.” [Kahnweiler, p.54]
This lets people know immediately where you’re coming from, and makes it safe for them to reciprocate. It frees you to be your authentic self and builds respect, rapport, and mutual understanding.
From The Introverted Leader, Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, PhD
Interview with an rising leader
This week, I had the good fortune to interview a former colleague who is steadily advancing her career as an introverted leader. Since we last spoke, she’s taken on much more responsibility and now manages a team. Reflecting on her introversion, she now views it far more positively and appreciates how her introvert’s strengths—listening, thinking, and collaboration—fuel her success. Meanwhile, she has seen extroverted peers flounder with their tendencies to speak without thinking or try to force their way through challenges.
Her primary challenges emerge in ‘high-stakes’ situations with executives, where recognition is key. Her natural tendency to pause and think before responding has sometimes caused her to be overshadowed by the “louder, more boisterous voices in the room.” It’s frustrating to have good—or even better—insight, only to be talked over like that. She believes the key, as an introvert, is having the confidence to follow up with an addition or expansion that shows you’re fully engaged. Or, when necessary, having the courage to contradict that person.
Six challenges faced by introverted leaders
Struggling to break into conversations and facing interruptions is a classic challenge for introverts. It ranks among our top six, according to The Introverted Leader by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, PhD. These challenges are:
People exhaustion
A fast pace
Getting interrupted
Pressure to self-promote
An emphasis on teams
Negative impressions
[Kahnweiler, p.54]
I just started reading this book on the plane the other night. It’s dense, practical, and truly insightful. I’m sure I’ll be referencing it often in the coming weeks.
How I navigated an offsite meeting and a board meeting - all at once!
The Offsite
On Thursday, I woke up at 4:45 AM to fly down to San Francisco for a full-day offsite meeting. My current company is distributed, so a group of us gathers every month or so to plan and advance major initiatives. As an introvert, I have a love/hate relationship with these meetings. I enjoy the in-person interaction, connecting with people I really like, and diving deep into issues. Often, you can accomplish things—like developing strategies or resolving problems—much more efficiently than over Zoom.
The downside for introverts: sitting at a conference table with 10+ people for hours on end. The volume, pace, and overlapping conversations put those of us who think before we speak at a disadvantage, quickly depleting our ‘introvert battery’ (social energy reserves).
When I run offsite meetings, I plan ‘introvert breaks’—not just ‘bio breaks.’ These are real recharge breaks of 10-15 minutes at regular intervals, allowing introverts to regroup and contribute fully.
Thursday was a marketing offsite (run by extroverts, as you might expect), so we ended up sitting for six hours straight without a break! My social battery was running low after just three hours. I made sure to practice conscious breathing to stay present and stepped out of the room a couple of times to manage my energy. Note to self: I missed a leadership opportunity to speak up on behalf of the group.
The Board Meeting
I lied—I did have a 30-minute ‘break’ in the middle of all this… to speak on a monthly board meeting call! This is another fairly stressful situation for an introvert. In The Introverted Leader, preparation is one of the ‘4 Ps,’ the skills framework in The Introverted Leader. I had put in a lot of work preparing the materials for this meeting, so I knew my content well, which boosted my confidence. However, I didn’t rehearse my script aloud, as the book also suggests, though I’ve done that plenty of times in the past.
I’m currently pushing myself—another ‘P’ from the book—to prepare with bullet points rather than scripting everything word-for-word. In my experience, scripting can lead to reading the text and feeling self-conscious, rather than naturally communicating the content. My goal is to trust myself enough to enter any speaking situation with just a basic outline.
And the result? It went fine. I answered a few questions, stayed conscious of my breathing to remain present, and managed to keep my butterflies at bay.
Powerful Introvert Update
God bless you if you’re still reading this!
My major progress updates include launching my Substack, establishing initial branding, and recording and posting my introductory podcast episode.
I’ve also been learning to use Descript to record and edit my podcasts. As daunting as it feels, I’ll soon be producing these episodes in both video and audio formats. Appearing on camera is definitely pushing me out of my comfort zone, but… it’s happening.
My first test podcast interview was with the most sympathetic audience I could find… my lovely wife. We had a lot of fun, but I’ll spare the world that recording. I also enjoyed editing the material and getting familiar with the tools. I’ve written, performed voice-over, and edited several product videos over the years, so I have some relevant skills. The key difference is that this time I’ll be on camera!
I’ve scheduled my next interview with another former colleague and friend—this one promises to be at least semi-serious. Jeff’s an engineer, a bona fide introvert, and he’s both articulate and funny. He even told me he once did a test episode for a Cheese Podcast. Only time will tell if I can meet this wily veteran’s expectations from his Cheese Podcast days and whether our episode ever sees the light of day.
Finally, I’m building out my wish list of future podcast guests. Feel free to send your recommendations my way!
Take care of yourselves, my friends.
Greg