 | The Introverted Leader: Building On Your Quiet Strength By Jennifer B. Kahnweiler
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Product Description
In our extroverted business culture, introverts can feel excluded, overlooked, or misunderstood. But being an introvert doesn't mean you can't be a great leader. Citing examples of highly successful leaders like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, Kahnweiler shows that introverts can build on their quiet strength and make it a source of great power.
After highlighting the common challenges introverts face at work, such as stress, invisibility, and perception gaps, the book details a straightforward four-step process to handle work situations such as managing up, leading projects, public speaking, and many more. Kahnweiler provides numerous examples and leadership tips as well as a revealing Introverted Leader Quiz that pinpoints where focused attention will produce maximum results, "The Introverted Leader" will teach you to embrace your natural work style in order to advance your career, get the most out of the people around you, and add value to your organization.
- Amazon Sales Rank: #47083 in Books
- Published on: 2009-06-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 192 pages
From the Publisher
Praise for The Introverted Leader
"Finally, a book that recognizes the immense value that introverts bring to the workplace. You'll learn how to lead with quiet confidence through powerful personal examples and practical tools."
--Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind
"This thoughtful process offers to improve the leadership potential of many who make a significant contribution to the people around them, and, by extension, our society at large."
--Edward T. Reilly, President and CEO, American Management Association International
"The Introverted Leader offers a straightforward and practical approach to business communication and leadership that will allow introverts to cut through the noise of an extroverted world and have their invaluable voices heard."
--Carol A. DiBattiste, Senior Vice President, Privacy, Security, Compliance, and Government Affairs, LexisNexis Group
About the Author
Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, PhD is president of AboutYou Inc., a firm that delivers high-impact speaking, training, and consulting programs. Her clients include Capital One, Turner Broadcasting System, AT&T, GE and the Coca-Cola Company. Cited by the American Management Association as a 'world class expert.
Most helpful customer reviews
73 of 74 people found the following review helpful.
Introversion is not the same as fear of public speaking
By Jennifer Nunemacher
From the title, one would think that the author would focus on the strengths of an introvert and how to enhance those in the arena of leadership. One would be wrong. The author seems to think that introversion is the same as pathological shyness and that introverts make good listeners because they apparently don't talk (not true, we do talk), but they should really push themselves to grow out of their terror of speaking in public to become a better leader. Admittedly, I am over-simplifying, but as an introvert, I found this book offensive and way off the mark.
The other reason I didn't like it was that the book felt like a lot of name dropping and anecdotal stories which weren't really all that helpful. It was not written well and smacked of self-publishing as a spin-off of her motivational speaking series.
I would agree with the other 2-star reviewer that this may be an appropriate book for someone who is looking to climb the corporate later. I am NOT looking for that, but still wish to enhance my leadership skills within smaller teams and communities. I did not find what I was looking for here.
I did not finish the book (which is rare), and I am glad that I borrowed it from the library instead of purchasing it myself.
45 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent Book For Introverts and Extroverts
By Terry L., Brock
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1XFQ2ZZ0KKPYL This is an excellent book for not only introverts but extroverts as well. The author lays out what to do for success and how to achieve it. This is a must-read for someone who has held back and not pushed themself worrying about being "too pushy." You will love this book and want to get it for others as well. Terry Brock, MBA, CSP
37 of 38 people found the following review helpful.Introversion Is Not Something to "Overcome."
By Jay Lynn
I don't typically write reviews, but this book annoyed me to the point where I felt like I had to say something.
First off, I'll say that the techniques presented in this book are solid tools for corporate and organizational success. There is no bad advice here. However, the techniques will benefit anyone, and not just introverts. Good preparation, being present, pushing yourself, and practicing are useful skills for everyone to develop.
The author's mistake, in my opinion, is to try and write a book on leadership targeted at a personality type she does not share. An admitted extrovert, she makes many accurate factual observations and positive statements about life as an introvert, but cannot hide her own bias in thinking that there is something fundamentally wrong with introversion.
Some examples:
"For introverted people, lacking the self-assurance and confidence to assert themselves in social situations can affect not only their performance, but even more importantly, their health."
(Since when do introverts lack self-assurance and confidence? Those are functions of self-awareness and self-esteem, not introversion, which is merely a preference for how one interacts with the world.)
"When he didn't receive the information, he wrote a nasty e-mail to the team berating them for their lack of compliance, also telling them that they didn't care about the project. Had he checked with the group by phone or in person, he would have found that the system required to obtain the data had broken down and was causing the delay."
(Introversion is not an excuse for not staying in contact with your team. That's just bad management.)
"There is no magic to managing introversion"
(Who said introversion is something to be "managed" like a disease?)
"He finds that if he writes these down beforehand, he is able to mentally bring up the entire paragraph when he glances down, and he adds, 'I can get through it without any introversion getting in the way."
(Preparation is essential for anyone's success. Introversion does not "get in the way" of feeling competent.)
"It is important to place yourself in situations where you are forced to stretch and get out of your comfort zone, whether it be public speaking or having a difficult conversation with a customer."
(Public speaking and client management are skills. Just because extroverts think out loud, it does not make them better at communicating.)
Again, none of these suggestions are bad. They are all essential for succeeding in business. Unfortunately, the general tone of the book perpetuates the negative misconceptions about introversion, in spite of intentionally trying to do the opposite. I feel the author would have benefitted by an introverted co-author.
http://astore.amazon.com/amazon-book-books-20/detail/1576755770
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