Introverts Offer Unique Strengths to the World
It's an exciting time for introverts. Many are discovering their strengths and embracing their true self. Others are on a path of learning and empowerment.
To commemorate Beyond Introversion's one-year anniversary in July , I offered a quick, confidential Introvert Superpower Quiz with personalized results to our loyal audience and prospective readers. I am thrilled to say we've now had over 600 respondents take the quiz and dive into their own reports!
Introverts everywhere are going "Beyond Introversion." Rather than succumb to painful stereotypes, introverts are learning about their strengths, standing tall, and going beyond!
The responses provided very concrete results which I am pleased to now share. I hope this recap, along with everyone's customized results, will provide insight on your strongest traits, and how to grow and use them to bring your voice into the social hall and the meeting room.
All 32 questions contributed to a scoring system reflecting 8 introvert superpowers.
Enough of the small print, let's see the trends!
Most dominant strengths- far and away, most respondents were very strong on these two traits
-Planner: organized, taskmaster, structured; prepare for your meetings and socials
-Observant: listener, perceptive, attentive; be patient and gather info and thoughts
Common strengths- these strengths were quite evident for most respondents
-Thoughtful: empathetic, considerate, kind; focus on others during engagements
-Learner: curious, student, teacher; learning the background provides context
-Loyalist: team player, supportive; develop deep bonds w/family, friends, coworkers
-Creative: innovative, intuitive, artistic; the world needs your new ideas & talents
Unique strengths- perhaps as expected, fewer respondents scored in these areas
-Resilient: measured, balanced, in-control; calmly, patiently consider all angles
-Sociable: personable, outgoing, friendly; focus on tighter bonds w/ small circle
Though there are defined trends, what is also clear is that everyone is different. Certainly, introverts are generally different from extroverts (though our post last week stands to challenge that notion), but each introvert is different from each other. In fact, despite collecting a large sample size, no two sets of responses are the same!
Are You a Schmoozer or a Freelancer?
While it may not be surprising that "Sociable" was the lowest scoring strength, 10% of respondents had "sociable" as one of their top 4 superpowers. Let's dub this group "The Schmoozers." Meanwhile, 55% of respondents had "sociable" as one of their bottom 2 superpowers. Let's label this group "The Freelancers" because they are more independent than the average respondent. It's quite interesting to compare the 8 superpower strengths between these two groups, the Freelancer and the Schmoozers:
Freelancers: these skills were significantly more dominant than for Schmoozers.
Planner
Creative
Observant
Freelancers should focus on growing their planning, organizing, and listening skills and lean on their intuition while also tapping creative hobbies to re-energize during the day.
Schmoozers: these skills were considerably more dominant than for Freelancers.
Sociable
Loyalist
Schmoozers should focus on loyalty, personal bonding, and re-energizing with their confidantes.
Common strengths: these traits were strong in both groups. Flex your curiosity, empathy, and calm demeanor to excel at home and at work.
Learner
Thoughtful
Resilient
These results underscore our differences as much as our commonalities. The big takeaway is not that you should strive to be Freelancer or Schmoozer or even a balanced mix of all 8 traits. The golden nugget is that we are who we are. Each of us has to stop aspiring to be like someone else, whether an extrovert or otherwise, and we have to jettison the negative stereotypes that have burdened introverts for decades, if not millennia, and be ourselves!
Time to Take Charge!
The whole intention of the survey is to provide a tool that will help people learn more about themselves. But the scores for each of the 8 traits are just the beginning. We need to use these skills and grow them. Try planning more, journal your thoughts, pick up a creative hobby. By transforming these traits into superpowers, they will empower us to succeed in our most difficult situations.
Uncomfortable in meetings, leading others, or at parties or networking socials? Your superpowers will help you plan for events, be curious about others, and handle difficult situations with empathy. Your strengths will also help you to recharge your energy faster, either through creative hobbies, online learning, or small socials.
Perhaps most of all, it's time to be confident that you possess unique strengths that the world needs to complement the gregarious, spontaneous, debaters in the room. The party and the board room need this balance to deliver better business results and cultural shifts. You are one of the missing pieces of the puzzle. It's time introverts stand proud and exert our own natural strengths.
If you haven't taken the Quiz yet, please join in and get your 8-page report sharing advice and precautions for each trait. Sometimes seeing your strengths identified with some practical tips is all we need to elevate our game. Best of luck on your journey...and visit us often at Beyond Introversion for more articles, quizzes, and resources!
"This is great, thank you so much!"-MT
"I am quite sure it is going to help me tremendously in knowing about myself."-AB
"Awesome! That is so descriptive!"-SS
It's not too late to take our quick, free, confidential Quiz to explore your own Introvert Superpowers. Everyone gets a customized assessment full of tips on how to use and grow your own strengths. Click here!
NEXT WEEK:
Guest blogger, Dr. Ty Belknap,
author of Leadership for Introverts: The Power of Quiet Influence
Oct 28th - Just in time for Election Day