Photo credit: Penguin/Random House
Susan Cain, author of the New York Times Bestseller "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking," will speak at the 2017 NBOA Annual Meeting in February. Leah Thayer, NBOA's vice president of communications, spoke with her recently.
Q: The business officer profession is somewhat introverted by nature. Independent school financial and operational professionals work behind the scenes and tend not to crave the spotlight. Yet their leadership skills are increasingly vital — even essential to the survival of their schools. How can schools better support them in this journey?
A: I would venture that within most schools there are already influential leaders who are introverts. These individuals should step forward to identify themselves and discuss how their introversion is part of their strength, and talk frankly about how they’ve overcome challenges. There’s almost nothing as powerful as a role model, especially one who is close to home and well-respected. This is true in every sector and throughout history. Douglas Conant, when he was CEO of Campbell Soup Company, described himself as very shy and introverted. He said he never made as much of an impact as a leader as he did when he discussed his introversion with his company.
Q: What specific actions can introverts take to raise their leadership profiles without undermining their more natural strengths?
A: Look for ways to draw on your existing strengths as a leader. Accept that you’ll never be this bold, out-there person and find quieter ways to lead. One way Conant connected with his employees was by finding out who was really contributing and then sitting down and writing them personal letters of thanks. While tenured as CEO he wrote 30,000 of those letters.
A second, almost contradictory, approach is to step outside your comfort zone. I call these strategic forays. Look for strategic ways to put yourself more in the foreground than you would naturally be. Push yourself to share your expertise in a public way. It might mean taking on a speaking role at a conference or writing for the company blog. What’s important is focusing on an issue you’re already passionate about, and then scheduling in quiet time afterwards, when you’re likely to be exhausted. Give yourself a break as a reward. You can’t live outside your comfort zone 24-7.
Q: Business officers operate in the realm of numbers and data. This can be challenging in the warm, nurturing environments of schools. What’s a better way to communicate financial matters in non-financial terms with teachers, parents and other constituents?
A: Learn the skill of storytelling. There’s data showing that stories are how humans absorb information. Ask, “What is the story these numbers are telling?” I’ve heard accountants talk about the music of the balance sheets and where the numbers “sing.” Even if you find this approach tiresome, keep your focus on the people you’re trying to communicate with.
Q: The initial draft of your TED talk had a lot of statistics and data, but you ended up replacing most of your data points with stories and narrative. How revelatory was it to witness the power of this approach?
A: Honestly, I still have to curb the tendency to think I can’t make an assertion unless it’s backed up with 17 different pieces of empirical data. When I was crafting the TED Talk, I wanted to cite the statistical basis for my presentation. They’re really strict about timing, and I couldn’t believe that I was going to spend some of my precious 18 minutes talking about summer camp and my grandfather. But it worked!
Q: You’ve talked about the trend toward collaboration and team-based work. Business officers too are encouraged to “get out of their silos” and do more collaborating. How do they find a balance between this necessity and the quiet, focused, detail-oriented nature of much of their work?
A: I would come back to the idea of strategic forays, as their work is still probably going to be quiet and focused and detail-oriented. You might want to develop a scheduling system. For instance, at 2 p.m. every day, walk through the hallways to connect with colleagues. Or have a one-on-one coffee with a colleague you otherwise don’t get to chat with. If you really work these times into your day, your other times together — when you have to roll up your sleeves and get work done together — will be a lot easier because you’ve been nurturing the relationship all along.
Q: Your company, Quiet Revolution, operates out of an old Victorian called “Quiet House” and observes “quiet mornings” with no meetings before lunch. You also work with Steelcase to develop workspaces that give professionals “permission to be alone.” How can independent schools at once encourage students to learn collaboratively while also providing them with spaces where they can reflect quietly?
A: There absolutely needs to be a balance. Even in the architecture and design field there’s a growing recognition that they may have gone overboard in pushing for everything to be open. For schools, the concept of open space can be wonderful — it’s bright and airy and happy in a lot of ways. But it’s terrible for students to be moved to radically open spaces where there are no nooks and crannies to get away from the noise. Already, the sheer act of going to school is a gigantic immersive social experience.
Q: Why is the topic of temperament and introversion so relevant now?
A: There have always been leaders who are introverts, but I think two things are happening. One is what you might call the softer side of business. More leaders have come to understand that it’s not just a moral issue to support employees’ happiness and engagement, but it’s also a matter of dollars and cents to make sure your business is suited to the critical characteristics of the people in it.
Not only are many movers and shakers in Silicon Valley introverts themselves, but at some businesses, more than half of their employees are too. That’s a lot of top talent!
Second, people are seeing firsthand the power of introverts. I was just presenting at a conference for women in technology, and the question of introversion was high on the docket. Not only are many movers and shakers in Silicon Valley introverts themselves, but at some businesses, more than half of their employees are too. That’s a lot of top talent! People were excited about what this recognition could do for their businesses in terms of how people work together, conduct meetings, everything. Some were even experiencing a kind of eureka moment — a sense that “This is the missing piece of what we can do.”
The 2017 NBOA Annual Meeting will take place February 26-March 1 in Washington, D.C. Susan Cain will speak at the NBOA Leadership Awards Lunch, Tuesday, February 28, from noon to 2 p.m. For information and to register, visit nboaannualmeeting.org.
Susan Cain is the author of the award-winning bestseller "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking." A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, and a former corporate lawyer, she is co-founder of Quiet Revolution, which helps organizations draw on the natural strengths of their introverted employees. More than 15 million people have watched her 2012 TED Talk, The Power of Introverts (see above).
Leah Thayer is NBOA's vice president, communications and the editor of Net Assets.
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