The Introverted Boss: How to Make Your Personality Work to Your Advantage

iStock_000016639682XSmallBy Nikole Grimes

Can introverts successfully lead in business?

After the publication in 2012 of Sara Cain’s New York Times bestselling book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, there has been a rallying cry for introverts everywhere. Cain’s TED talk in February 2012 is lauded by introverts who feel validated and uplifted by her message.

In her TED talk, Cain expounds on the value of introverts to creativity and innovation, but do these qualities translate to effective leadership?

Examples of Successful Introverts
In a 2013 article in Forbes, Victor Lipman, a management communications coach and retired insurance company executive, reflected on his career and the hundreds of executives he worked with. He writes, “…there are just a handful who come to mind as universally admired and respected. Oddly enough, they were all quiet individuals who could all easily be considered introverts – and all shared the same constellation of characteristics.”

Lipman notes that these introverted leaders were universally measured in their responses, highly analytical, good listeners, naturally risk averse, and the frequently the voice of reason. He continued, “Their voice was not the loudest but was often the most listened to.”

Bestselling author, chairman of Avon Products, and former CEO and President of Campbell Soup Company, Doug Conant, writes in a 2011 article that he scores high on the introversion scale. He says, “In meetings, introverts can often be perceived as aloof, disinterested, shy or retiring. … When viewed from the outside, it may seem that I’m not openly contributing as much as I could or should, but that’s just because I’m busy listening and thinking.”

If you are an introvert, know that you can be perceived this way, but remember, too, that listening deeply and thoroughly can give you an advantage when you provide well thought out input after you have processed all of the information presented to you.

A recent article in Entrepreneur indicated the benefits of listening and the importance of honing this soft skill as a business leader. “Typically, we choose leaders for their skill at conveying messages clearly and powerfully. But it is listening that distinguishes the best leaders from the rest. That’s because the better you are at listening, the more likely people will talk to you.”

When leaders listen, they are more likely to actually hear an employee who shares the next big, industry-changing idea. Employees who possess leadership traits have the potential to really thrive when they feel like their ideas are being heard. If you are naturally introverted, you can use your ability to listen and make others feel heard to your advantage.

Mike Jones writes in the Entrepreneur article, “The business world has never been altogether friendly to introverts. Yet roughly four in 10 top executives — including Larry Page, co-founder and now CEO of Google, identify as one. What’s more, their success may not come despite their natural introversion, but because of it, an idea backed up by new research suggesting introverts foster a better team environment than their more outgoing peers.”

The Research
A 2011 study concluded that while extraverts are more likely to be perceived as leaders, their leadership does not always lead to increased group performance. The study by Adam Grant (University of Pennsylvania), Francesa Gino (Harvard University) and David Hofmann (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), concluded “…when employees were not proactive, extraverted leadership was associated with higher group performance. However, when employees were proactive, this pattern reversed, so that extraverted leadership was associated with lower group performance.”

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Voice of Experience: Yas Banifatemi, Partner, Shearman & Sterling

Yas BanifatemiEvery day is a new day for Yas Banifatemi, a partner at Shearman & Sterling in Paris. An internationally acclaimed leader in international arbitration and public international law, Banifatemi works in an area of law that is very fluid and where clients regularly confront highly complex – and often emerging – issues.

“What I love about arbitration is that this is a field where you can truly be creative,” she says. “The law is in the making, so you can be a pioneer of the law.”

In many ways, Banifatemi has already been a pioneer. When she joined Shearman & Sterling 17 years ago, the arbitration field was clearly male-dominated. Today, not only is she the head of the firm’s Public International Law practice, but she was instrumental in the development of the firm’s investment arbitration practice and also acts as deputy managing partner of the firm’s Paris office. In her different capacities, she has seen more and more women in senior corporate and government roles and at her firm.

Beginning Her Career in Arbitration

Banifatemi joined Shearman & Sterling’s arbitration practice in 1997 after earning her doctorate in International Law from Panthéon-Assas University in Paris and her Masters of Law from Harvard. “It was quite a hectic year for me as I was juggling between my studies at Harvard and completing my PhD and writing my dissertation,” she says.

Before joining the firm, Banifatemi had considered a career in academia, but after studying under Arthur van Mehren at Harvard, a leading figure in arbitration in the US, she decided to practice law. “I wanted to be engaged in the process and be an agent of change – to make a difference instead of staying behind the scenes and merely reflecting on matters,” Banifatemi says. “Given how few firms practiced arbitration back then and how few positions existed in the field, joining Shearman’s arbitration practice and having the opportunity to work with Emmanuel Gaillard, one of the world’s leading figures in arbitration, felt like a miracle.”

Although a practitioner first and foremost, Banifatemi has been fortunate enough to indulge her academic interests, conducting seminars in Paris and all over the world and being a co-founder of the Arbitration Academy, an international institution providing for advanced courses in the field.

Overcoming the Odds

Many naysayers told Banifatemi that it was practically impossible to become a practitioner in public international law, which governs the rights and obligations of states and international organizations. International arbitration seemed like the safer bet, and Banifatemi initially focused her efforts on this area of law instead. However, she persisted in her quest to become a specialist in public international law, and as fate would have it, she worked on a matter that would change her career path.

“Three months after I started,” she recalls, “Shearman & Sterling landed a major treaty arbitration case for Slovakia. We were one of the first firms to work on treaty arbitration. I worked specifically on the international law aspects of the case and have been engaged in treaty arbitration and public international law issues ever since.”

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Intrepid Women: Reshma Saujani, CEO and Founder, Girls Who Code

imageBy Jarod Cerf

When Reshma Saujani was introduced at an event recently, the CEO and Founder of Girls Who Code, former Deputy Public Advocate of New York City, and 2010 candidate for U.S. Congress, was given the mantle of a “poster child for persistence.”

Saujani, however, credits that diligence and desire to serve the public to the courage of her parents, who departed from Idi Amin’s reign in Uganda, and to the insistence of the politicians who advocated for the refugees’ asylum. “I always wanted to be a lawyer,” she reflected. “Even when I was ten, I had that as a goal on our fridge door: that I would go to Yale Law School, and only Yale Law.”

“I think, toward the end, that my family began to wonder if I was too dedicated to that dream. But I spoke to the dean directly—after two prior rejections and taking the train and walking straight up to his office—and he said, ‘if you go elsewhere for a year and make the top 10% of your class, you can come here’.”

Seeing the Need for Change
During her 2010 campaign, though, Saujani became starkly aware of the disparities between the various public schools and the degree to which the students received skill-based training. “It was over a couple days of meetings,” Saujani remarked, “that I saw how little the girls in our schools were engaged with technology as a means of building toward their future careers.”

“And I knew then,” she continued, “that Girls Who Code would have to exist; that we needed to give these young women and potential industry leaders the right access to the right people, to the role models and thought leaders who were contributing to the rise of New York as the next Silicon Valley.”

While the tech industry and supporting regions themselves have flourished, the number of women who receive a Bachelor’s degree in computer science has declined from 29.6% in 1991 to 18.2% as of 2013 (master’s degrees, by contrast, have remained fairly static, with doctorates showing a 7.9% increase over the same period).

One of the most immediate causes, according to Saujani, is the absence of sufficiently positive role models and detailed career paths, as well a lack of industry focus on the issues that women want to address. “We need film and television companies like Disney,” she explained, “to think about the images they put on the screen; we need technology companies to be educators and advocates, to encourage the application of computer science skills in the classroom.”

“This is the literacy of the future,” Saujani affirmed, “and the ability to create something using science, to engineer solutions, to innovate ideas through new and emerging technologies, is what keeps you in the workforce and relevant.”

Making Your Vision a Reality
Though Saujani admitted that the initial summer immersion class in 2012 was “a bit bootstrapped,” with friends and business contacts providing workrooms, computers, and fresh lunches for the twenty young women who attended, she noticed a marked increase in both their technical skills and the confidence they expressed midway through the program.

By August 2012, when Saujani was invited to speak at the United Nation’s 11th Youth Assembly, the newly minted alumni were receiving requests from local and community leaders to build websites, applications, and databases for their businesses.

The most important quality Saujani demonstrates to her students and her team is the willingness to embrace uncertainty, risk, and rejection and to understand the lessons they can teach. “Sure, I lost my Public Advocate race with only 82,000 votes,” she said. “But those were still 82,000 people I’d never met before the campaign, who believed enough in me to say I should be the first South Asian woman elected in the entire city or state of New York, and that I should represent what they need.”

“Too often,” Saujani continued, “women tend to think that they have to ‘do’ the job before they can get it. The good news is, when you teach these girls how to design an app to confront obesity, poverty or the bullying that they witness at school, they’ll invite three or four of their friends to learn along with them and work together with other girls—sometimes from incredibly diverse backgrounds—to create solutions for the world they want.”

Speaking proudly, she stated: “We started in 2012 and we’ll train 3,000 girls this year, and I’m confident that by 2020, we’ll reach a million.”

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Voice of Experience: Daphne Karydas, Director, Senior Equity Analyst, The Boston Company Asset Management LLC

women-workingEarly on in her career, Daphne Karydas learned that a key component of success is to match your skills and talents with your interests and passions. After studying chemical engineering at MIT, Karydas entered the pharmaceutical industry where she worked in research and development at Merck for about 3 years.

Seeking a different career path, she decided to earn her MBA from Harvard Business School and proceeded to work as an Investment Banker in the Healthcare sector at Goldman Sachs for 4 years.

“I was not able to leverage my entire skill set in investment banking,” explained Karydas, “and it was important for me to find a role that fully utilized my skill set and professional interests.”

Career in Asset Management

It wasn’t until Karydas transitioned into Asset Management as a healthcare analyst that she felt truly fulfilled by her career path. “The nature of the industry gives me the opportunity to utilize my scientific background and financial markets training while still being able achieve a healthy work-life balance,” she said.

Now, as a Director and Senior Equity Analyst at The Boston Company, Karydas says one of the exciting aspects of her job is moving away from traditional models and incorporating more alternative strategies to maximize the portfolio performance. “It is challenging but interesting work trying to determine new ways to add value for clients,” Karydas noted.

Women in Asset Management: Mentoring is Key

According to Karydas, there is a still a wide leadership gap in asset management, but she is encouraged by the increasing number of women she sees emerging in the industry. As more female asset managers are coming on to the scene, Karydas emphasized just how important mentoring and sponsorship will be in developing the next generation.

“The cycle of mentoring is critical,” Karydas noted, “and when you have influential leaders taking the time to identify young talent and help them navigate their careers, there can be a big impact..”

Finding a mentor and developing that relationship is important to career advancement, but Karydas also stresses the value of hard work and dedication. “Performance matters in Asset Management so you have to work hard and be proactive about your career,” she advised.

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How Being an Athlete Can Help Women Advance in Business

John Keyser (1)Guest Contribution by John Keyser

I read with great interest Hadley Catalano’s article “What Do Sports Teach Women in Business” in the recent issue of Glass Hammer. It’s an important perspective, certainly helpful to a great many women, and men should listen up as well! As Hadley states, where prowess in athletics and competitive sports can give us an advantage, so can our emotional intelligence skills. Here’s where women can have an advantage in business leadership. Business is about relationships, how we influence others, how we make others feel about themselves. Women generally have higher emotional intelligence skills than men, and that matters, greatly!

Being athletic gives many of us a sense of inner-confidence, which is so important in business leadership. Yet, to keep egos in check, inner-confidence is best balanced by humility. Certainly, sports keep us humble. Let’s face it, a good batter gets a hit three out of every ten times to the plate, a good free throw shooter may make seven or eight of ten tries at the basket, and certainly a golfer is used to a number of poor shots in every round.

I had the privilege of serving on the board of the Women’s Sports Foundation for a number of years. The foundation was established in 1974 by Billie Jean King and has remained a force ever since. In fact, the foundation is considered the guardian angel of Title IX, standing up for equity for women in sports, business, academia – in life!

Many of the people I know through the work of the Women’s Sports Foundation are simply amazing people, outstanding athletes in soccer, tennis, golf, swimming, diving, sailing, softball, running, gymnastics and other sports. I am talking Olympic caliber, the very best in the world. Yet, they are humble and truly interested in others, helping others succeed.

Are all athletes secure and successful in business? No, certainly not, and here’s a lesson. I cannot take credit for this lesson; credit goes to Mariah Burton Nelson, whom I met through the Women’s Sports Foundation. Mariah was a competitive swimmer and a star center on Stanford’s basketball team. She is now an author and motivational speaker.

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Mind Your Career: Why Mindfulness is at the Core of a Successful Career

iStock_000002493020XSmallBy Nneka Orji

Being aware of our surroundings, showing sensitivity in certain situations, putting ourselves in others’ shoes – these all seem obvious things to do both in our professional and personal lives. But what is not so obvious is how being mindful – “being in the zone” – can help our careers.

According to Ellen Langer of the Langer Mindfulness Institute (and first female Professor to gain tenure at Harvard University’s Psychology Department), mindfulness is “the process of actively noticing new things”. By challenging ourselves to ignore the multiple distractions we experience each day, and instead fully absorb ourselves in the task at hand, Langer argues that we can reduce stress levels, improve our ability to think creatively, and improve our performance. In a recent interview with Harvard Business Review, she shared the benefits of mindfulness; “It’s easier to pay attention. You remember more of what you’ve done. You’re more creative. You’re able to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. You avert the danger not yet arisen. You like people better, and people like you better, because you’re less evaluative. You’re more charismatic.”

All positive, but can we realistically apply these concepts to business?

Although the concept of mindfulness can be traced back to Buddhism, it was pioneered in America by Jon Kabat-Zinn through his work in the medical field during the 1980s and then with a number of other groups including sports, CEOs and judges. The benefits of mindfulness have been demonstrated throughout society and it is now gaining traction in the professional field – as of 2012, the Financial Times reported that 25% of large US companies had launched ‘stress-reduction’ initiatives .

In 2007 Google successfully introduced Search Inside Yourself (SIY), a mindfulness based programme which provides Googlers with the tools and opportunity to be mindful at work.

With the stream of research providing evidence to support the benefits of mindfulness at work, it is easy to see why this is the case. A recent research article from INSEAD and Wharton showed that mindfulness could lead to better decision making around investments by helping to reduce “sunk-cost-bias” – the tendency to progress an investment despite negative results in order to compensate or justify for earlier investments. An online course on mindfulness developed by Oxford University and Mental Health Foundation claims that participants who have completed the course have experienced “58% reduction in anxiety, 57% in depression and 40% in stress”. There are also examples of mindfulness programmes being effectively incorporated in the legal profession and in the military.

The benefits are clear and apply to both genders; Langer’s HBR interview cited some research during which she asked 2 groups of women to give persuasive speeches; one group using masculine traits and the other group presenting as they would normally. “Then half of each group was instructed to give their speech mindfully, and we found that audiences preferred the mindful speakers, regardless of what gender role they were playing out.” Irrespective of gender, the way we perceive our situations and the way others perceive us can be influenced by the degree to which we apply mindfulness throughout our lives.

With today’s continuous distractions and technology – phones, emails, apps (including those to help with mindfulness) – some of the sceptics among you might think that it is impossible to apply mindfulness in high stress environments associated with New York’s Wall Street, London’s City and lots of other fast paced business cities. But how much of this time is spent on mindless activities?

Moving from Mindless to Mindful
The argument thus far shows that we should approach life (work and personal) more mindfully, so what steps can we take practically to become mindful? Here are 3 things you can start today.

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Voice of Experience: Susan Soh, Partner and Global Head of Marketing and Client Services, Perella Weinberg Partners

Susan SohSomeone once asked Susan Soh, a partner at Perella Weinberg Partners, what she would do if she was to retire today. Her response:

“I would choose to do exactly what I do now because I love it,” said Soh.

If there is one underlying theme that has followed Soh throughout her career, it is that you must be passionate about your work. She first discovered this valuable tenet early in her professional life.

Building a Rewarding Career

Soh, as it turns out, did not always think she would enter the world of financial services. In fact, after graduating from Harvard Law School, she had aspirations of moving to Asia to become a successful attorney. Her trajectory changed, however, when she realized that the corporate legal environment did not ignite a spark in her. “I knew very early on that I would not be happy in a career doing something for which I lacked passion,” said Soh.

Soh, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Yale University, recalled her interest in finance and decided to pursue a career in banking. “The M&A market was heating up at the time and many firms were in search of reformed lawyers to join their team,” explained Soh. She accepted a position as an M&A banker at Bear Stearns. “I worked long, hard hours,” said Soh, “but I loved every minute of it.”

While in this role, Soh expanded her interests and moved to the merchant banking business at Bear Stearns where she worked on private equity investments as well as marketing for the firm’s first institutional fund. That turned into a full-time marketing role, which launched her career in asset raising. When an opportunity presented itself to get in on the ground floor at Lightyear Capital, Soh jumped at the chance to join a venture that appealed to her entrepreneurial nature. It was at Lightyear Capital that she was exposed to the hedge fund industry, an emerging space at the time.

In 2003, Soh entered the hedge fund industry, which brought a whole new world of dynamic markets and different strategies than she had previously experienced in the private equity world. “Very few people make the transition from private equity to hedge funds, so this was definitely new ground for me, but I always found being open to change and new challenges was one of the best ways to advance in your career,” she explained.

During this period, Soh was responsible for hedge fund business development at Highbridge Capital Management. “It was extremely exciting and a great learning experience as I was responsible for marketing each sub-strategy in Highbridge’s multi-strategy fund as a new standalone funds. It was there that I had the opportunity to be mentored by Glenn Dubin, one of the great titans of the hedge fund industry.”

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Intrepid Woman: Dara Richardson-Heron, M.D., CEO of the YWCA USA

rsz_1dara_richardson_heron_ywcaBy Michelle Hendelman

When Dara Richardson-Heron was a young girl, her parents dispelled an important piece of advice. They advised, “Don’t ever be limited by your race or gender.”

“They told me I could succeed at anything I wanted to do in life,” said Richardson-Heron, who added that her parents are her role models because they taught her how to lead with integrity and ethics and to never compromise her standards.

Now, as CEO of the YWCA USA, Richardson-Heron embodies the principles she learned as a young girl through the organization’s mission to empower women by providing them with the tools and resources necessary to make a positive impact in their families and communities.

Challenges Women Face
According to Richardson-Heron, there are three primary factors holding women back from reaching their full potential: gender inequality, racial injustice, and the lack of economic empowerment. “I wish things were different,” she said, “but it is clear that racism still exists and that women do not have equal opportunities.”

She emphasized the importance of evening the playing field for women in business, politics, and the economy by addressing the institutional inequalities and positioning more women to succeed in the highest levels of leadership.

“Many women are alone at the top,” Richardson-Heron remarked, “and we need more resources and support in place to take the demands off of these women so they can focus on being great role models, performing at a high level, and righting the stereotypes that exist against women.”

Change in Action
The YWCA has 227 associations nationwide and each one offers distinct programming to meet the needs of the women in the local community. For adults, the YWCA provides job training, career counseling, education, and even refuge. Children have access to afterschool educational programs including a focus on STEM education which begins as early as preschool.

“When you educate a woman, you educate her entire family,” explained Richardson-Heron. “The core purpose of our programs is to provide self-esteem and confidence in addition to knowledge and skills training.”

One of the most rewarding aspects of leading the YWCA, according to Richardson-Heron, is being able to see the transformation from sadness to optimism in women who have benefited from the organization’s life-changing services. “I visit the facilities –many of which have shelters for women in transition –and it is so humbling to meet women who came to the YWCA with nothing more than the clothes on their back and are in the process of turning their life around.”

Fighting the Good Fight: Advice for Her Peers
“Never give up,” advised Richardson-Heron. “It is not easy being a change agent, but the end result is worth it. You have to be resilient and prove yourself every day.” This is the advice Richardson-Heron gives to female leaders who are leading the way in the fight to balance the scales for women.

As a physician, Richardson-Heron also stresses the importance of focusing on personal health by taking time to relax and recharge. “Saying ‘yes’ to everything will leave you exhausted and ineffective,” she said. “When you take time off and allow your mind and body to take a break, you can come back rejuvenated and renewed.”

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Voice of Experience: Kris Muller, Partner and Assurance Strategy Leader, PwC

Kris Muller PwCFor Kris Muller, Partner and Assurance Strategy Leader at PwC, many doors opened for her throughout her career as a result of saying, “Yes.” Early on in her career, Muller was fortunate enough to be recognized by key decision makers who would recommend her for stretch assignments, thus furthering her career.

“I was lucky in this way,” said Muller, “but I wish I had realized that you can advocate for yourself and have more influence in your career.”

Muller, who will be celebrating 30 years with PwC in August, urges young women to be proactive in their careers. She advised, “Don’t wait for opportunities to fall into your lap. Be vocal and go after exactly what you want.” PwC’s approach to real-time feedback and development, in which leaders provide performance feedback throughout the year, rather than only during the traditional annual performance review process, creates opportunities for such conversations and requests to take place.

Career Path

Muller graduated from college with one goal in mind: to be the best at whatever she did. This drive and dedication has been the foundation for Muller’s rewarding career at PwC. She began her journey at PwC’s Stamford, CT, office where she was part of the Assurance and Audit team.

When Muller’s mentor and coach at PwC approached her about moving to the Washington, D.C., office to start up the technology Internet group there, she accepted the opportunity. “It was during the Dotcom Bubble and we were busy working on countless IPOs,” recalled Muller, who became a partner during this time.

As Muller continued to progress, she joined PwC’s “chief auditor” network, which supports the methodology of the firm and focuses on the consistency and quality of the Assurance practice. She was also the Southeast Software Leader in addition to her responsibility as TICE (technology, infocomm, entertainment and media) team leader at the D.C. office.

In another pivotal conversation, Muller was asked by the same mentor and coach to move to Finland to join the Global TICE group in an Assurance and Audit capacity. She spent five years in Helsinki and was the lead on a top global account for PwC during this time. This experience gave her a whole new perspective, international awareness and broad professional and personal network.

Making an Impact

Currently, Muller is very excited about her strategy role within the US Assurance Leadership Team, which PwC’s current Assurance leader, Vin Colman, asked her to take on. She noted, “I love the forward looking nature of this role and the excitement of bringing it all together, seeing the progress, and being directly involved in the direction of our Firm. Vin has a thoughtful perspective about the transformation of our practice and the opportunities in the profession – it was an easy decision to join Vin and his team.”

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The One Thing You Can Change to Be Happy

BeateCheletteGuest contribution by Beate Chelette

While I was being interviewed on a radio show about the topic of finding happiness, a professional working mother called in to speak with me. She wanted me to help her determine the answer to a poignant question: Why did she feel so unhappy? The caller questioned whether the cause was her current job which she no longer found fulfilling, or if she was simply buckling under the pressures of being a working mother.

This isn’t the first time I have heard the same question. The caller was seeking a simple answer to a problem with which many of us struggle. We know something isn’t working and we want to find the “one thing” that makes us feel overwhelmed so we can fix it and move on. We are smart enough and strong enough to do that—it would be so simple.

In my work as a coach and consultant, I find women often identify the source of that nagging overwhelmed feeling is either 1) lack of support in a personal relationship, or 2) how we feel about our employment. These seem like the obvious culprits because they are things we can change and either option leaves us blameless.

Working mothers are masters of juggling the needs of our families and our jobs. It’s rare that one single issue or person can cause us to feel overwhelmed. Rather, we need to look at the bigger picture to find the sources of our unhappiness. What we should consider is the compound effect of many small stresses in all areas of our lives that accumulate over time.

Women who are highly driven to succeed strive to live up to the big expectations we have of ourselves in our jobs and in our roles as mother and wife. I call it the Superhuman Paradox. We want to be regarded as a successful and competent businesswoman with the salary to match. Plus, we want to cook like chefs, decorate our homes like professionals, raise the smartest kids in their classes, and have perfect bodies. It seems possible because we find women in our personal and professional circles who actually seem to attain these high standards. We think, “If they can do it, why can’t I?”

The problems begin when we end up spending too long at work and rushing through our evenings at home. Of course, our jobs are important and we must advance our careers, but long hours build pressure in other areas of our lives. On the other hand, when commitments to our family and friends seem unending, we can begin to believe our personal lives are getting in the way of our professional goals. Without a functioning work-life balance, we are bound to collapse under our constant pressures.

What you can do:
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