Hello, my new restrained introvert friend! Now, if you're a true restrained introvert, you might feel a bit of skepticism in the term "friend" and my presumption that we are. ;)
“I’d say you’re like a Flat White—strong but in a smooth, velvety way.”
Flavor Snapshot
A restrained introvert is a reserved introvert. You don't necessarily mind social events but usually have other things to do and only go if you must. You like your privacy and prefer conversing about non-personal topics.
You like a slower pace in conversation and interaction. You think before speaking and appreciate time to make decisions. You don't like being pushed or hurried. It takes you about 15 minutes in the morning to wake up. I know. I'm married to one.
Facts only, please! Emotion has no place in decisions and interactions.
Your Delicious Strengths
You do things right the first time. You're logical, practical, and work steadily toward goals without being distracted. If you don't know something, you’re honest about it but then find the answer. You like order and organization. Sometimes your desk doesn't reflect that, but you know exactly where everything is. You have high standards for yourself, your team, and your business. You're independent, determined, and expert at turning theories into solid action plans.
You dot your i's and cross your t's. You know the "rules" and keep them to avoid future trouble (unless you think they're stupid but even then you'll keep them for your clients--not necessarily yourself). You won't lead your clients into something that's wrong or that might hurt them. You read the fine print and are shocked that others don't.
Grande Size Tips
Your need to do things right and research all angles can slow you down and cause missed opportunities. Sometimes you just need to go with your gut. A Harvard University forum asked a group of CEO’s how many decisions they made using intuition (keen and quick insight). Sixty-five percent of their decisions were intuition because if they tried to analyze all the data first, they’d lose deals.
Be careful of overwhelming your client with too many details, data, and numbers. Knowing the different personality styles and trust currency will help you to know what type of client appreciates lots of information.
“You’re best served with a ham and cheese sweet/savory muffin—practical mixed with nice.”
You can be too hard on yourself and others leading you to second guess your abilities, lead to paralysis from analysis, and cost you team members. Recognize that your idea of reasonable standards is often not realistic for most. Carefully evaluate where you are, be aware of necessary learning curves, and do the same for your team.
Your independence can cause you to isolate yourself and not ask for help when you need it. You expect those you seek help from to do what you do better before you value their advice. True leadership recognizes that nuggets of wisdom and inspiration comes from unusual and surprising sources.Your
Sales Style
You excel at one-on-one interaction at your office where you're most comfortable and have all you need to do an excellent job.
Public speaking, even among those you know, is not appealing. But for the simple fact that you can control how things go, you're sometimes willing to do it. And might even find you like it.
Your Extras!
You can seem detached and hard to read making others nervous. Use facial and hand gestures when talking to be perceived as warm and kind unless you like others thinking you're detached. That probably won't get you new customers, though. ;) You'll never be highly expressive but smiling can help.
Use humor. I've found that restrained introverts have a delightful sense of humor.
Remember that growth isn't a problem. Refusal to grow is. Always keep the "where you want to go" in your mind and work toward it with the awareness you'll be challenged at times.
Make sure your confidence in your ability doesn't come across as arrogance.
Here's some of my favorite blog posts to enhance your introvert flavor:
Well, that's it!