The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength

by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, Douglas R. Conant (Foreword)

You don't have be an extrovert—or pretend to be one—to “Finally, a book that recognizes the immense value that introverts bring to the workplace.” —Daniel H. Pink, New York Times-bestselling author of The Power of Regret   Business author and international speaker Jennifer Kahnweiler points to Mark Zuckerberg, Arianna Huffington, and Warren Buffett as prime examples of self-identified introverts who have done quite well for themselves. In this new, expanded edition of her pioneering book, she lays out a well-tested four-step strategy introverts can use to build on their quiet strength and make it a source of great power.    The book also includes fresh information   the unique challenges faced by introverted womenhow leaders can shape a more introvert-friendly workplacecustomized hiring and coaching strategies for introvertsthe positive correlation between introverted leadership and company performance

Genres: Leadership, Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Psychology, Management, Audiobook

220 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Jennifer B. Kahnweiler is an international speaker, executive coach and author who specializes in developing and coaching introverted leaders. She holds a doctorate in counseling and organizational development from Florida State University.

Her latest highly anticipated book, The Genius of Opposites: How Introverts and Extroverts Achieve Extraordinary Results Together (Berrett-Koehler, August 2015), offers a five-step process that will help introverts and extroverts understand and appreciate each other and work together to achieve more than they ever could on their own. Blending their two points of view allows both partners to see and act on things neither would have separately.

Her previous book, Quiet Influence: The Introvert's Guide to Making a Difference (Berrett-Koehler, April 2013), shows how introverts can harness their innate tendencies to make a real difference. As Kahnweiler proves in this book, introverts can be highly effective influencers when, instead of trying to act like extroverts they use their natural strengths. In a world where extroverts seem to rule, Kahnweiler shows readers how introverts can use their quiet influence to challenge the status quo, provoke new ways of thinking, effect change and inspire others to move forward.

As a learning and development professional working inside leading organizations such as General Electric Co., AT&T Inc., NASA and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Jennifer deepened her knowledge and appreciation for introverts and through the course of this journey developed into an introvert expert. Through keynote speeches and seminars on the topic that include her characteristic humor, poignant stories and practical tools, she transfers the lessons introvert teach us across cultures. In recent years she has spoken to leaders in Vietnam, Spain, Japan, the UK and the Netherlands. Jennifer has also written articles about introverts in the workplace for Forbes, Bloomberg Business Week and The Wall Street Journal and has been quoted on the subject in over 50 international news media outlets.

Kahnweiler is a recipient of the 2012 Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, The National Speaker’s Association’s highest earned credential and is a Board Certified Coach. She has also served on the board of the Berrett-Koehler Author’s Co-op and is currently on the board of the National Speakers Association of Georgia.

Reviews

[Tami · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Introverted Leader was written by an author who is an extrovert. She qualifies this fact by stating that her husband is an introvert and so she knows how to deal with us introverted types. Ouch.

The premise of this book is that introverts can learn to be extroverted. They just need to know what to do. Follow step A- meet and greet; step B- get some business cards; before long you are cured, as if being an introvert is something you catch while reading in the library.

Sprinkled lightly are a few little tidbits stating how introverts are better organized and listen to others more. Basically, she works off common stereotypes. In this way, the book provides wonderful insight into what extroverts think about introverts: we are unfriendly, reserved, lazy, and slow. Probably something most of us are painfully aware of on a daily basis.

[Jenny · Rating 1 out of 5]

From the title, one would think that the author would focus on the strengths of an introvert and how to enhance those in the arena of leadership. One would be wrong. The author seems to think that introversion is the same as pathological shyness and while introverts make good listeners because they apparently don't talk (not true), they should really push themselves to grow out of their terror of speaking in public to become a better leader. Admittedly, I am over-simplifying, but as an introvert, I found this book offensive and way off the mark.

The other reason I didn't like it was that the book felt like a lot of name dropping and anecdotal stories which weren't really all that helpful. It was not written well and smacked of self-publishing as a spin-off of her motivational speaking series.

I did not finish the book (which is rare), and I am glad that I borrowed it from the library.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not real impressed with this book; in fact not even going to finish it. Frankley, I'm tired of the 4 P's process the author pushes in this book. Written by an extrovert in a manner I find almost patronizing and condescending, the author uses generic examples of things that felt made up. I'm an introvert, not an idiot.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This caught my eye at the library so I grabbed it, but it did not turn out to be very good and I abandoned it less than halfway through. Quiet by Susan Cain is much better. A few concerning things right off the bat: the book is by a woman but has a picture of a man on the cover, and the author openly admits that she herself is an extrovert! Basically although it claims to be talking about building on an introvert's strengths, it spends a lot of time dwelling on perceived weaknesses of introverts in leadership positions, and how they can compensate for these things that extroverts are supposedly naturally better at. Not a very useful or helpful perspective.

[Neil Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Again, as I have stated, self help books don't really rustle my jimmies. This one I was excited about because I was figuring out how I wanted to operate as a leader and I myself, by definition of an introvert, derive my energy from being alone and expend it with other people.

Right from the start it was a lost cause when the author started she is an extrovert. An extrovert telling introverts how to operate? It's ok though, she talked to some people and can tell us how to function. Lol lady.

She writes a complete guide of introvert stereotypes and how to compensate for them because for the most part the author feels like introverts have untapped potential hidden behind shy facades which is just weakness.

Redeeming quality was a couple good tips to put into practice but overall was a real letdown.

[Zachary · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are two major flaws that get this book going in the wrong direction: first, it's written by an extrovert; second, it takes for granted that culture seems to be built for extroverts, such that introverts must necessarily adapt to an extroverted world instead of extroverts needing to adapt any introverted traits. What this ends up being, then, is a sort of waffling piece of "encouragement" that tells introverts they have things to offer but to do so must be willing to adapt to the demands of a culture that would otherwise seemingly pass them by. While I don't disagree that there are areas of adaptation that are necessary for introverts, there are certainly an equal number of areas where extroverted culture can learn to slow down in a manner that is more fitting for introverted styles. That, I think, would make for a more interesting and compelling study. The ideas that the book presents, in spite of this flawed rationale, are not terrible, but nor are they particularly robust or conducive to an introverted style; they effectively boil down to the idea that introverts need to just push themselves more, albeit with some intentional preparation and research beforehand. This, I think, is not particularly helpful. And so goes the remainder of the book, unfortunately. It's a quick read, which is merciful, but that's about all I can say for it.

[January · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler
218-page Kindle Ebook

Genre: Leadership, Nonfiction, Self Help > Personal Development; Psychology, Business > Management; Language > Communication

Featuring: People Exhaustion, 4 Ps - Prepare, Presence, Push; Questions, Challenges, Being Assertive, Setting Boundaries, Passive-Aggressive Behavior, Adapting, Charts, SAR Method, Notes (Works Cited), Index, Promotion to Work With Author

Rating as a movie: G

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My thoughts: 🔖Page 28 of 218 Ch. 1 Six Key Challenges for Introverts - This sounds promising. I'll finish it tomorrow.
🔖96 Ch. 6 - This would be perfect as a class or conference.

So this is a seminar! I really enjoyed this book, as an ambivert I found it extremely helpful. My husband read it first and I thought, why not? Being unemployed it may seem like a waste of time but I discovered some new skills I can wait to use at book club, mostly shutting up to get the true introverts involved.

Recommend to others?: Yes. This is a good book that doesn't focus on becoming an extrovert but on using your introvert gifts for good and adapting those skills in various situations.

[Merrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my own work with the DISC behavioral styles, I have found that many people do not value the quiet power of introverts. With society placing value of the outspoken extrovert, The Introverted Leader is perfect for the introverts themselves, as it can help them to tap their hidden strengths and for extroverts to better appreciate what introverts can offer.

The Introverted Leader offers a practical guide that identifies four key challenges for introverted leaders: stress, perception gaps, derailed careers, and invisibility. Each challenge is then studied through the 4 P’s: preparation, presence, push, and practice.

Jennifer Kahnweiler presents relevant examples and useful tools that introverts can use to manage their introversion in a variety of areas, such as: building relationships, meetings, public speaking, and leading projects. The Introverted Leader is a must read for those introverts who want to maximize their contributions at work.

[Marijana☕✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nadam se da će mi jednog dana saveti iz ove knjige biti korisni, ali čim je u uvodu rekla da je ekstrovert (ali omg ima iskustva zbog introvertnog muža) prevrnula sam očima i jedva čekala da krene sa "popravljanjem".
Prestanite da se pretvarate da razumete i da nam solite pamet.

[armita · Rating 1 out of 5]

واقعا چرا اینو خوندم-
چرت و پرت.

[Nicole N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, this book is written by an extrovert. Yes, it is also kinda stating the obvious (don't ALL self help books do this?). The whole point is that, rather than floating through life/meetings being overlooked, you need to take some time to evaluate yourself and be prepared to work on your weaknesses. This book gave me a kick in the rear to do that. It provides specific, practical suggestions for how to improve your weak points.

As a young, recent graduate flung headfirst into a leadership role, I have found this book to be quite useful. I'd recommend this to anyone in the same boat. Granted, I've never read any other books like this, so I have nothing to compare it to.

[Mark Pedigo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this as part of a bundle, sight unseen. Had I browsed through the book, I don't think I would have tried it.

First of all, the premise is flawed. I hoped that "leader" would have a broad meaning - leading via research, or teaching, or mentoring, or yes, perhaps in the office, or in whatever way you consider successful. But no, it "leader" here is used in the overly specific sense of "corporate leader" (i.e., middle manager, or better yet, executive level). So how many introverts crave the spotlight of corporate leader? Is that something we're supposed to want? Sounds a lot like assuming what I want is what everyone else wants, right? However I define success is how you will, too, right? So right off the bat, the author's not really even meeting most of her potential audience halfway.

Second, the point of view is guaranteed to make the book a failure. The author says up front that she's not an introvert, she's an extrovert, but she's been married to an introvert for years, so that somehow makes her an expert. Whenever someone says (in effect), "I belong to (insert majority group) and you belong to (minority group) but I understand you and I will help you be successful with (majority group)" you know you're on thin ice -- depending how you fill in those blanks, condescending at best, perhaps even dangerous. No wonder there are bad reviews here on GoodReads from people who feel insulted. To be fair, in this case, the PoV doesn't come off as malicious, just misguided.

The content of the book itself seems to be a shoebox full of advice sound bites the author gleaned from her introverted peers. She's organized these bits and spit them out in what is essentially a prolonged PowerPoint. Each section starts with a caption with a bullet list (the slide), and then one to three paragraphs of text per bullet list item (the speech she'd give for that bullet point on the slide). Ugh. I read the first 2/3 (100 pages or so), then had enough and quickly paged through the rest.

The content is fairly mixed up, too. It can't seem to decide whether it is a guide for extroverts to understand introverts, or introverts to understand extroverts, or whether introversion=shyness (no) or not (it has different assumptions at different points of the book), or exactly what's going on. Really kind of a mess.

[Amirtha Shri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did i actually read a self-help book that has a wealth of help? :O

[Lacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Patronizing and Pedestrian.

Don't bother with this book. It was disappointing to read that the author is a self-proclaimed extrovert, but evidently knows ALLLLLL about introverts because her husband is one. I didn't appreciate Kahnweiler's implication that introverts aren't firing on all cylinders, or that her flimsy "data recording" included "conversations" she had with just 100 people--including hallway chats. How does a so-called researcher validate pedestrian data? The book is patronizing to introverts and misleading for extroverts.

Author gets a single star because the book is an easy read, and her adjectives are in front of her nouns.

Read "Quiet" instead.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately a book telling introverts how to succeed at work, written by an extrovert, wasn't overly helpful. I get that she interviewed 100 introverts for this book, but it just didn't quite hit home. I'm not sure that tips like "get to know your team" and "work on your public speaking skills" were all that ground breaking :)

[Sunrise (Brit) · Rating 2 out of 5]

40% = 2 Stars

I'm going to write a book about introverts and tell them they can be leaders if they stop being introverted! HA HA - what a trick.

[Tom]

Read for a management course in my Library grad program

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book for two reasons: 1. I am an introverted leader and, 2. I've got to hit 22 books in 2022 and this was one of the shorter ones. Having read and really enjoyed Quiet by Susan Cain (which the 2nd edition of this book references), I found this book to be more actionable with less time spent discussing the merits and strengths of introversion – making it the perfect complement to Quiet. While the title suggests this book is specific to Leaders, I think many of the pointers in this book will be useful to people at any stage in their career.

[Matthew Vallely · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m sorry to the author for the poor rating on something you worked hard on but I had a really hard time finishing the book. This is one of those situations where i don’t know if the advice given was superficial or f i’m fortunate enough that all of the advice felt like common sense to me. Perhaps i should have started on one of the authors other books. Or perhaps i’m not an introvert by the authors definitions. that being said, shoutout to anyone who has made it as a leader without knowing this stuff. There were a few useful tips here that i may use but i found myself cringing for most of the book.

[Nuno · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is truly awful. Not only is it badly written, resorting to weak examples that only vaguely matter to the points made, but it is almost offensive in the way it misunderstands and misrepresents the abilities of an introvert.

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical. One I will refer back to.

[Ka’Rae · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started to read this, until I realized the author is indeed an extrovert.
That would be the equivalent of me writing a book on what it’s like to have a prostate.

[Cel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Idk - didn’t really offer many new perspectives… interesting concept though!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always so interesting to read other people's reviews after I finish a book and see how my perceptions change -- like listening in on a book club. I felt like this was a good book. A lot of helpful--although not groundbreaking--recommendations to help an introvert grow further into leadership. I would have appreciated it more coming from an introvert instead of an extrovert that interviewed a lot of introverts. But I'm not as put off by that distinction as many reviewers seem to be. I think there is a benefit the diversity of hearing perspectives from someone from "the other side" that has taken the time to study these issues. My bigger gripe, the further I get from finishing this book (2 days, haha) is the overall acceptance of the premise that introverts need to work so hard to fundamentally change their ways of interacting with the world in order to rise in leadership positions. While this may be a reflection of the realities of today, should it be? Perhaps I would just be happier if there was a companion book called "The Extroverted Leader" that focused on how to tone down your energy and why you should be seeking to mentor and guide the introverts in your organization, and why that would be to the betterment of us all.
I get that self-help business books are generally about trying to improve yourself, and not the society around you, so this may be too harsh. Maybe a lot of us are just judging based on unfair criteria. After all, growth often means learning to push and grow in ways that are uncomfortable.
Anyway, I'll use some of what I've learned in this book. I'll just wish it wasn't necessary. 3.5 stars.

[Leah Markum · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF: approx. 20%

Yup, I'm going to have to agree with a bunch of people here: this isn't about introversion...or leadership. I'd say it's more about an extrovert assuming quietness equals introversion, shyness, lack of social skills, and lack of professional assertiveness, and the leadership equals a combination of organization (as in due diligence in skills taught in school) and broad sociability. I particularly appreciate how extroversion assumes presence and attentiveness, but some of the least aware and connected people out there are extroverts. It's not an extroversion-introversion dichotomy. Most of this book isn't. If anything, I'd say it's a confidence-anxiety and MBTI's J-P dichotomy. This book is also 100% geared to the corporate environment, so more than anything I've affirmed how much I hate the rigid and "gray" feel of a corporate environment, and you don't have to be an introvert to have that opinion. I read the first two chapters that cover the concepts for the book but skipped the specific usages that others have said to be repetitive and would be irrelevant to me anyway.

[Steven Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a good book about leadership, but the title is misleading.

The title lead me to expect a unified approach to leadership from an introverted perspective. In reality, this is a book about organizational leadership in practice. There is no discussion of theoretical matters such as "What is a good leader?" Rather, the book is practically oriented, focusing on how to tackle various matters of leadership within an organization using the central paradigm of the four P's: prepare, presence, push, and practice.

I think the tools being discussed are useful and worth putting into practice, but are only valuable within a limited setting. Overall, reading the book is much like attending a day-long leadership seminar, complete with plenty of personal testimonies.

[Tara Custer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of why and how introverts think and lead the way they do. I personally benefited a lot from learning on how to build from my quiet strength. Leaders who have mentored me have always said I have a quiet strength that others are attracted to. This book confirmed many of the thoughts going through my mind and my actions. I highly recommend this title to anyone who like me is looking for ways to learn and grow as an introverted leader.

[Robert Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

But great. Seems to start ok with differences between introverted and extroverts. After promising to show how to build on the strengths of introverts it instead seems to show how they can become more extroverted.

[Erica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it. Author admits herself she's an extrovert and the book smacks of "sorry you're an introvert. That will get you nowhere. Here's how to fix it!!"

[Samantha Hines · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of good tips but was a little preachy, being written by a self proclaimed extrovert.