Why introverted leaders may have an advantage with remote work

Remote working arrangements can make engaging teams even more challenging for leaders. Many of us are feeling increased anxiety, and that can be a big distraction when it comes to focusing on work.

 “Right now, we’re in a crisis of belonging,” says Edward Sullivan, CEO of Velocity Group, an executive coaching firm focused on early-stage startups. “Not only are people staying home and dealing with challenges of the pandemic, such as the health of their loved ones and teaching and rearing children; they’re also dealing with loss of connection with coworkers. Leaders are challenged with continuing to create feelings of connectedness.”

While several companies addressed the issue at the start of the pandemic with Zoom happy hours and games, the solutions weren’t always effective. “Often these events turned into 40 people staring at each other, which felt awkward,” says Sullivan. “What is working is having smaller numbers of people getting together and leaders proactively reaching out to connect one-on-one with their employees.”

Uniting people from afar with small-group initiatives often fits with the strengths of an introverted leader, says Sullivan.

“Introverted leaders have a natural tendency to feel more comfortable in small groups,” he says. “They’re usually more successful at communicating one-on-one than holding space in a big group. Since there are no big groups or town halls in auditoriums right now, this moment was created for the introverted leader.”

FINDING WAYS TO CREATE CONNECTION

Introverted leaders are more likely to listen before speaking and be deeply and thoughtfully interested. They’re also often good at sending thoughtful notes or proactively reaching out and connecting one on one with an employee who is struggling. While an introverted leader may have a natural proclivity for taking the right steps in the current workplace environment, all leaders can learn to use these moments to their advantage.

“During the pandemic, we’ve learned how important social connections at work are,” says Sullivan. “We used to spend 8 to 12 hours a day in an environment that is suddenly gone. It’s the responsibility of leaders to proactively create moments of connection.”

For example, all-team meetings don’t need to go away. Instead, Sullivan recommends breaking out into groups of two or three and providing a prompt that can encourage conversation, such as asking employees to share one thing their coworkers may not know about them.

“Simple prompts encourage deeper, connective conversations,” he says. “Right now, though, you need to be more proactive. There are no collisions at the water fountain or coffee machine. You need to be purposeful about what happens when you’re together in virtual spaces.”

Be careful about team activities. Competing against each other with video games may be fun to some employees, but it will not be helpful for collaborating together to solve a problem, says Sullivan.

Also, pay attention to your team’s preferences, especially when—or if—it’s time to come back to the office, says Sullivan.