1 Author: [email protected] | Contact information: http://BhavinGandhi.com
How to effectively deal with your Introvert Boss? by Bhavin Gandhi
Have you ever worked under an Introvert Manager? In my opinion, managers should always be people person with
soft skills, but that is not always the real life scenario. You must have seen (or experienced) multiple situations,
where an introvert person is in the management role because of his/her experience with the subject knowledge,
connections with the management, or something else. No matter what is the exact reason behind this, you might
come across these kind of situations more often than you might think. Thus, in this blog post, I am going to provide
you with some pointers on how to deal with your introvert boss effectively and respectably.
Don’t increase their insecurities: Introvert managers spend too much of their time and energy in safety seeking to
keep from looking like fools, being blamed for something, or even losing their jobs. Thus, you should try not to put
them on the spot. Asking their opinion in meetings does not make it easier for them to participate; instead, it
increases their anxiety. So, you should always try to ask them their opinion in one-on-one settings, where they feel
more comfortable. Don't ask vague questions during this one-on-one sessions. You should rather ask specific
instructions about how, what, when, and where; so that you don't have to bug him/her multiple times about the same
information. If possible, do some homework before you ask these specific questions. Go through some scenarios,
where you can address all policy impacts of his/her decisions in the same meeting. This will limit your visit to his/her
office, and it will get you all the information that you might need.
Take decisions by yourself: Introvert managers always attempt to remain safe by avoiding to make decisions by
themselves. Thus, I would recommend you to take new initiatives by yourselves. And if needed, take important
decisions by yourself, after talking to other employees and stakeholders. During this process, you need to make
sure that you keep your manager notified (or informed) about these initiatives, so that he/she doesn't consider you
as a threat to his/her power. It is comparatively easy for an introvert manager to provide his/her opinion on some
decision, rather than taking that decision by themselves. It would also help, if you can show him/her your decision
process, and how you came to a given decision from all the other alternatives. In this way, you can increase your
manager’s comfort level by providing him with pros and cons of all the other alternatives.
Don’t expect any feedback: Introvert Managers feel more comfortable working with things than with people. For
example, they might do well working at restocking items or finding glitches in a software program. They will enjoy
inventory control, ordering supplies, and detailed work but be less successful in dealing with employees and
2 Author: [email protected] | Contact information: http://BhavinGandhi.com
employee problems. Thus, they seek/provide little feedback and disclose little information. In fact, introvert
managers not only feel uncomfortable around people, but they actually fear them. So, don’t expect any praise,
guidance, criticism, or help from your introvert boss. You might have to provide these for yourself or ask your
colleagues to do so. Due to the sheer nature of your boss, you might want to set up a 360 degree survey for your
job performance. In this way, you will be getting true and real feedback from all the people you work for, and may
be, this can help you in getting that next promotion, which you might not get, if your performance is only judge by
your introvert manager.
I hope, this blog helps you in dealing with your introvert boss. Have you (or do you) worked for an Introvert Boss
before? If so, how did you deal with that situation? What other ideas can you give to my readers?
I will be waiting for your interactive comments. Thanks. – Bhavin Gandhi.
Bhavin Gandhi | June 26, 2013 at 2:05 PM | Tags: Communicate effectively, Introvert
Boss, Leadership, Learn from your Boss's management style, Manage expectations,Manage your
Boss, Management, Management Style, Personal Development | Categories: 21st
Century, Leadership, Management | URL: http://wp.me/p103Cm-ae
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