Yosannia Arnaz

17018170

“The Benefits of Being Introverted at Work” by Sonia

Acosta

In our contemporary world, which is run by the active, sociable and confident

extroverts, it seems that there are not many evident benefits to being an introvert. What

is more, it is believed that in the extroverted business world, introverts have to survive.

Sonia Acosta, in her article “The Benefits of Being Introverted at Work” for

CareerBuilder is ready to argue with this statement.

In her piece of writing, Acosta does not investigate the nature of being an

introvert and their relationships with society. Instead, she focuses on one integral and

important area of our life which is work and explores how introverts act in a work-

flow. She considers seven myths about “quiet workers”, as she calls introverted

employees, widespread in the modern society, and debunks them, writing in simple

language and providing clear examples.

According to Acosta, introverted employees contribute in a team setting

because of their traits, and being an introvert is beneficial for a working process.

Though introverts may be more reserved at work than in their personal life, that does

not mean they have nothing meaningful to say, they do not like their colleagues, or they

are ineffective workers. It is a way they respond to social stimulation which is

1
comfortable for them. We should not blame them for it. Still, they are usually diligent

and committed workers who carefully do their part of work.

Examining myths about introverted workers, Acosta writes that people usually

assume that introverted workers are not social and they are shy. Susan Cain, the author

of one of the US bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop

Talking, explains that shyness is related to the fear of social judgments. For instance,

at a job interview we might be exceedingly concerned about what an employer thinks

of us. Whereas introverts might not feel these fear at all, they just prefer to be in a

quieter atmosphere. In practice, many introverts are not shy (Tuck, 2012). Acosta adds

that introverts, working by themselves, accomplish the same high goals as extroverts

do by communicating with people. As to introverts’ anti-sociality, she expounds that

the way quiet employees behave at work may differ from their behavior in their private

life.

Let us consider another myth which is especially prevalent today. It says that

introverts do not become successful leaders. Indeed, people in Western cultures still

hold a stereotype that a leader needs to be aggressive and extroverted. But what

introverts should do in this case? Acosta does not deny that networking and sound

presentation skills are important factors to increase a person’s visibility, but for

introverts she recommends them to use social media to gain exposure and express

themselves professionally.

It is important to understand that extroversion and introversion are not fixed

categories. Bryan Walsh in his article “The Upside of Being an Introvert (And Why

2
Extroverts are overrated)” pays particular attention to this question. Except extroverts

and introverts, there are ambivert - people who are neither extremely extroverted nor

extremely introverted. They are not loud, but they are not quite as well. They are in the

gap between these two traits (Walsh, 2012). While interacting with people, we should

keep this fact in mind.

Acosta, in her article, induces us to look closer at introverts, especially if they

are our colleagues, and try to understand them. It is a matter of great importance,

because according to Jonathan Rauch, a well-known American author, introverts

possibly are among the most aggrieved and misunderstood people in the world (Rauch,

2003). We should not interpret their quiet and calm nature as a negative feature. When

we let go off negative assumptions and accept them as they are, we may be surprised

as to how effective we can work with them.

“The Benefits of Being Introverted at Work” will be useful for people who feel

pressure from their colleagues because of their introverted nature. It will help them

ensure they are not worse than their chattier counterparts. This article will be helpful

for extroverts as well. When we learn to understand each other, our relationships within

working groups will definitely improve.

3
 References

Ian Tuck: “Susan Cain: ‘Society Has a Cultural Bias towards Extroverts’ ”The

Guardian, April 1, 2012.

Jonathan Rauch: “Caring for Your Introvert” The Atlantic, March 1, 2003.

Bryan Walsh: “The Upside of Being an Introvert (And Why Extroverts are Overrated)”,

Time Magazine, February 06, 2012