In the colorful work of Personality Dimensions, introversion and extroversion factors stand as key pillars to understanding ourselves and the world around us. If you’ve taken a workshop with us, you’ll already know that introversion and extroversion is like a sliding scale. You can be fully introverted, fully extroverted, or often times you are a mixture of both. And what this means is that we have a delicate balance of managing our energy reserves.
Both factors have a distinct approach to social interactions and how they not only expend their energy but how they recharge too.
If you’re thinking ahead that introversion is described as shy, quiet, reserved and extroversion is outgoing, loud, gregarious then we hate to break it to you, but it simply isn’t the truth. Carl Jung in 1923 and Myers-Briggs again in 1960, used these terms to actually describe how individuals are energized.
When introverts spend the day at the office with lots of noise, interruptions and group work, they often go home quite exhausted. But if they had the day with little interruptions and got to focus on more individual tasks, they go home feeling energized. Extroverts are the opposite, they enjoy spending the day working with others, and yet working in isolation for too much time leaves them drained.
One seeks their energy from inward reflection and the other seeks their energy from outward in the form of action.
We’ve heard participants admit in the past that they judged team members who ate lunch alone, or disappeared right after a long meeting. They assumed these individuals were angry, upset or didn’t want to be a part of the team. So when they learned the true meaning of these factors, that light bulb went off and judgment turned to understanding and curiosity.
The key to maintaining a healthy energy bank lies in balance and understanding. Understanding ourselves and taking the time to understand others. When we honor our needs, we can better manage our energy reserves and navigate this, especially in the workplace, with grace.
A Team Human Conversation
Fight workplace zombies in your organization and join Team Human! Gather a group of fellow workplace zombie hunters to discuss our most recent blog post. Use the questions below to kick-start your conversation.
How do you think introversion and extroversion factors impact our own team dynamics?
In our workplace, do you notice any differences in communication styles between people who are more introverted and those that are more extroverted? How can we ensure effective communication and collaboration considered their unique preferences?
How can we foster an inclusive work environment that respects and accommodates both introverted and extroverted team members?
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