6 Ways Introverts Quietly Dominate Society
#2 The Allure of Calm
Leadership is rarely associated with introversion.
I saw this a lot during my football days…
The loudest person on the pitch was typically deemed the leader.
It didn’t matter if their skills matched their vocal abilities; if you made the most noise, it seemed like you were steering the team ship.
This caused me many problems when I was made captain of the youth team…
I’m not a loud person; I’d rather stay indoors than get the team together for a night out, and God forbid you hear me yelling on the pitch — that was too much attention than I needed.
My manager was having none of it. He took my lack of extroversion as a marker of disinterest and would regularly pull me aside for pep talks — it would work for a few minutes, and then I’d go back to quiet ol’ me.
I thought something was wrong with me in those days, but I realized that’s not the case as I've gotten older.
There’s power in being an introvert.
The secret to unleashing it is in understanding the strengths of being a silent observer.
Some of the most famous introverts — Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, and Mark Zuckerberg — learn these qualities early and use them to dominate society.
Here are a few examples of how…
#1 Think first, talk later.
Introvert’s strengths don’t lie in their ability to captivate crowds with compelling speeches.
They’d rather write instead of talk or sit on the sidelines absorbing all the information being shared their way.
Even in casual conversations, they prefer to take the listener’s role.
This isn’t to create an allure of mystery around their character…
It’s just their preferred way of communicating.
They prefer to have a good understanding of what’s being said before they share their input.
In a casual discussion, they’ll note everything being said. This serves them in two ways:
- They can spot openings to enter the discussion since they’ll catch the underlying meaning behind the words.
- They’re often provided with enough ammunition to offer a solution before they respond.
Thinking before they speak grants them much-needed time to confidently and persuasively convey their ideas without stumbling over their words or doubting what they say.
The impact of their words is far greater since they rarely give them freely due to their need to formulate their response in their mind fully.
#2 The allure of calm
Observers often attach the word “calm” to describe the demeanor of an introvert.
Introverts would tell you this is far from the case.
The reasoning behind their sentiment is subtle…
As self-sufficient people, their nature is naturally internal.
All the battles that take place in their life happen inside their head.
This is also the same place they search for a sense of comfort, freedom, and fulfillment.
Wearing emotion on their sleeve attracts helpers, which goes against their beliefs. They’re independent and would prefer to tackle their life problems internally.
This creates the illusion they’ve got their shit together…
They don’t.
But they won’t tell you.
As a result, everything looks under control on the outside.
This trait draws people toward them with open minds prepared to be influenced — especially in times of chaos.
#3 Depth > breadth
As mentioned earlier, the life of an introvert happens in their head.
This means everything about their conduct is geared toward forming connections — whether with people or in their brain doesn’t matter.
To achieve this, they pay attention to everything in their surroundings to create a fuller story of what’s happening in front of them.
For example, let’s say you’re conversing with an introvert…
That person wouldn’t only be paying attention to you.
They’ve likely studied body language signals in their personal time and they’re spectating everything you do to pick up on nonverbal cues you may let off to reveal the hidden meanings behind your words.
This isn’t to catch you out…
It’s just to create a fuller picture in their mind and prevent misunderstandings from occurring.
But this mindset is also taken toward their work.
Introverts always need to be sure they understand!
This results in them going deeper into everything they do, which typically leads to them coming out with more creative solutions.
Einstein is a great embodiment of this.
#4 Low expectations, high standards
People often report feeling at ease around introverts.
This stems from their non-extravagent nature.
An introvert doesn’t need much to feel happy and content. Give them a good book or movie, and they’ll be indoors all day.
This attitude toward their personal life carries over into their interactions and relationships with others.
Since they’re naturally self-sufficient, they don’t place expectations on others, which allows people to feel like they can be themselves at all times — and they truly can.
But don’t be fooled into thinking it means introverts have lower standards…
They don’t.
For example, the struggles of Bill Gates’s high standards are well documented.
He wrote most of the code in the early stages of Microsoft and rewrote everyone else’s — something he had to drop to get the company off the ground.
You’ve also got the testimonies of former Tesla employees who recall Musk discarding people’s work and telling them to start over.
Being easily pleased doesn’t equate to low standards.
It simply means less is expected.
Remember, they’re self-sufficient!
#5 Shelter from the spotlight
Introverts despise being in the spotlight for one simple reason —
It puts too much attention on their quirky tendencies.
This interrupts how they consume information and gather various perspectives.
Always remember: an introvert’s conduct is geared toward making connections so they can see the whole picture.
They want to understand the world around them to make sense of the world inside their head.
In other words…
Their desire to understand what’s happening in their head makes them intently pay attention to the environment.
But since they’re paying attention to what’s around them, they tend to notice changes in the environment rather quickly.
This quality gives them an edge over their slightly more outspoken counterparts — the extroverts.
When you pair their preference to spend prolonged periods alone and their need to understand what’s going on in their head, you get a person who’s vigorously aware of the changing world.
They’re in poll position to recognize developments in the world and develop innovative solutions to complex problems.
#6 Influence
The life of an introvert is lived from the inside out.
They rarely seek approval from external sources since their decisions start from within — and it’s likely they’ve thought of the various ways things could play out.
Before an introvert commits to an external objective, they must understand why — remember, it’s about making things make sense in their head.
This means by the time they’re ready, there’s tons of conviction behind their actions, which conveys an abundance of confidence.
Several studies have shown that acting or speaking with conviction is the prerequisite for people to follow.
This is how introverts silently gain influence and get people to buy into their vision willingly.
Final thoughts
A leader is someone who inspires passion and motivation in others.
If you’ve got this ability in your locker, you’re a leader.
It doesn’t matter if you’re introverted or extroverted. What matters is the vision you provide for those who follow.
In this story, we focused on the strengths of introverts since they’re less obvious.
Maybe we can talk about extroverts in another story, but till’ next time…
Thanks for reading!
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