How to unleash quiet powers (4 Proven Tips)

“There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.” ― Susan Cain

Why it works

Susan Cain (pictured above) is a renowned author and speaker best known for her influential work on introversion and the power of quiet people in a loud world. After starting her career in law and corporate negotiation, Cain eventually turned her attention to the quieter aspects of personality, challenging the extrovert-dominant ideals that shape modern culture. 

In 2012, she published her first book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. It became a global bestseller that shifted the way society views introversion. The same year, Cain gave a TED talk on “The Power of Introverts.” Being an introvert herself, she was anxious an entire year before the talk. To deal with her anxiety, she joined the public speaking club Toastmasters — and worked for six full days with an acting coach immediately before the talk. 

In the end, it worked out well. Cain’s talk became one of the most popular TED talks ever, with almost 35 million views. Her work has profoundly impacted how we perceive introversion, popularizing the idea that introverts are not simply shy or withdrawn. Instead, they’re thoughtful, creative individuals with highly valuable and versatile strengths. As you can see in the infographic below, these include the power to listen well, stay calm, feel empathy, think independently, focus deeply, think critically, and see details. Here are 4 proven tips to unleash these powers in your team.

How to do it

1) Provide private desks and silent places
Designate private and silent areas where introverts can focus deeply without distractions. In other words, create hideaways for them. Hideaways generally come in two types. The first type is physical and includes offering a dedicated location, like a quiet room or desk. The second is mental, most notably by encouraging the use of noise-canceling headphones in the office. You can learn more about hideaways in this article.

2) Offer less crowded work times
Apart from creating a space and culture that allows introverts to work privately, ensure that people are not required to attend meetings all day. While important and necessary, meetings can drain energy from introverts, especially if scheduled too frequently. And since our motivation and focus peak 30 minutes, 3 hours and 11 hours after waking up, keeping the early and late parts of the workday (before 10 am and after 4 pm, say) meeting-free is a powerful rule to have as a leader. Delve deeper into why and how here.

3) Support working from home
The rise of remote work has shown that working from home can be a game-changer for productivity — especially for introverts who thrive in quieter, more controlled environments. Here’s how: first, give clear and explicit permission for employees to choose remote work without feeling pressured to always be present in the office; second, encourage them to take proper lunch and recovery breaks rather than working non-stop (here’s how); and third, set guidelines for when work hours should end – and emphasize that it is okay to check out of work during evenings or weekends.

4) Respect their time alone
Respecting introverts’ need for solitude is crucial for fostering productivity and well-being. One effective way to do this is for leaders to model behavior demonstrating the importance of uninterrupted time. One role model is Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke. “We don’t burn out people. We give people space”., he said in a 2019 interview with Business Insider. Lütke is especially deliberate about focused work: "For creative work, you can't cheat. My belief is that there are five creative hours in everyone's day. All I ask of people at Shopify is that four of those are channeled into the company".

In a world that often celebrates the loudest voice, remember this:

True power can reside in silence. So empower the quiet members of your team.

And please share this post with one person who might benefit from doing the same..

Until next week,
Christian

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