Tuesday

Are You An Introvert?

Don't mean to put us all in one pot, but in my experience many finance people tend to be introverts, like me. If you feel this has a detrimental effect on your ineractions in the workplace, I've got a book to recommend to you - The Introvert Advantage, How to Thrive in an Extrovert World, written by Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D.

It's an interesting paradox. Accountants, financial analysts and such often chose their careers based partially on their personalities. Among other characteristics, they like quiet for concentration, like to work on long, complex problems and have good attention to detail. Introvertive much?

Yet when one rises to a CFO position and is expected to lead, mentor and rally the troops, a totally different skill set is required. Extroverts respond quickly to requests and spring into action without much advance thinking. They like to be part of the majority opinion and feel isolated without management support. They enjoy phone calls and see interruptions as a welcome diversion. With due respect to extroverts, I don't see these characteristics  as particularly valuable for a CFO to have. Do you?

So, what's the takeaway here? Both introverts and extroverts can influence their own styles, while recognizing their natural leanings. Either can become a great CFO.

I work with a personal coach, and she is terrific. It was only in my last CFO position she helped me realize my introverted tendencies were hampering my performance. My coach recommended this book, and I found it extremely helpful.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? How has it helped or hindered you in your career?

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