Picture Credit: The Change Company
What kind of person do you envision when you hear the word “leader”? If you are like most others, your answer would be along the lines of a highly energetic, bold person, probably standing at the center of a huge crowd and making some grand speech. But what if you were to learn that one of the most successful leaders in the world described himself as the very opposite image? Quiet and bookish.
Bill Gates is a self-proclaimed introvert, and he is not the only one. There are several others like Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Steve Wozniak and Gandhi who redefine what it means to be a leader. Susan Cain's Quiet delves deep into understanding the rarity that is an introverted leader.
Introduction
Book’s Name - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that cannot Stop Talking
Author’s Name - Susan Cain
Genre - Non-fiction/Psychology
Language - English
Synopsis - Spoiler Alert!
This Manifesto for Introverts found in the book succinctly summarized it.
There's a word for ‘people who are in their heads too much': thinkers.
Solitude is a catalyst for innovation.
The next generation of quiet kids can and must be raised to know their own strengths.
Sometimes it helps to be a pretend extrovert. There will always be time to be quiet later.
But in the long run, staying true to your temperament is key to finding work you love and work that matters.
One genuine new relationship is worth a fistful of business cards.
It's OK to cross the street to avoid making small talk.
'Quiet leadership' is not an oxymoron.
Love is essential; gregariousness is optional.
'In a gentle way, you can shake the world.' -Mahatma Gandhi
About the Author
Susan Horowitz Cain is an American writer, speaker, and the acclaimed author of the 2012 bestseller, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. In 2015, Susan Cain co-founded Quiet Revolution, a mission-based company with initiatives in the areas of children (parenting and education), lifestyle, and the workplace.
Cain's 2016 follow-on book, Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts, is directed toward educators and parents and focuses on introverted children and teens.
About the Book
Cain elaborates that in writing Quiet she was fueled by the passion and lividness that she pictured fueled Betty Friedan's 1963 feminist work, ‘The Feminine Mystique’. The author likens introverts today to the women of those times—nothing more than second-class citizens with a plenitude of untapped talent.
She propounds that modern western culture grossly misunderstands and undervalues the traits and capabilities of introverts. Susan Cain also maps the rising popularity of the Extrovert Ideal—the all-permeating belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha, and comfortable in the spotlight.
Most of us like to believe that we value individuality, but more often than not we adulate one type of individual, the kind who is comfortable ‘putting themselves out there’.
Psychological Analysis
Quiet is an insightful and engaging book that manages to be informative all along. The theories and arguments are comprehensively explored by an in-depth review of the science and history behind introversion, and discussions relating to the cultural context of how introversion and extroversion are viewed.
What begins as merely recognizing introversion and introverts, morphs into an elucidation of why introverts make for great leaders and why society as a whole has failed them. The author further proffers several strategies for introverts to excel in a world created for and predominated by extroverts while explaining the challenges and benefits of being an introvert.
Famous Quotes
‘The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some, it's a Broadway spotlight; for others, a lamplight desk. Use your natural powers -- of persistence, concentration, and insight -- to do work you love and work that matters. Solve problems. make art, think deeply.’
‘Shyness is the fear of social disapproval or humiliation, while introversion is a preference for environments that are not overstimulating. Shyness is inherently painful; introversion is not.’
‘We don't need giant personalities to transform companies. We need leaders who build not their own egos but the institutions they run.’
‘What if you love knowledge for its own sake, not necessarily as a blueprint to action? What if you wish there were more, not fewer reflective types in the world?’
‘It's as if they have thinner boundaries separating them from other people's emotions and from the tragedies and cruelties of the world.’
‘The purpose of school should be to prepare kids for the rest of their lives, but too often what kids need to be prepared for is surviving the school day itself.’
‘There's zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas.’
The Bottom Line
Most who read this book are likely to be introverted people, and the book does an exceptional job of coddling that very target demographic. However, if you are that rare extrovert who decides to pick a copy, this book is for you too. Perhaps, you may finally understand why that one quiet friend in your circle is the way they are.
My Ratings for the Book - 3.5 on 5
Get your copy from Amazon - Quiet
Written By - Aishanya Nigam
Edited By - Pavas Shrigyan
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