“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti
Most of the general public think of small business owners as extroverted, shameless self-promoters and extremely competitive. Though some are, do these traits describe the most successful business owners? Not by a long shot.
While extroverts gain energy from those around them and that is why you will always find them at the centre of a crowd if at all possible, it is the introvert, with no desire or need to be motivated by others, who becomes successful when they spend more time alone, as they lose energy when around others for too long a period.
Extroverts tend to enjoy social situations and do well in them, while introverts cherish their alone time and actually relish being an introvert and the freedom it allows them. Not afraid to be solitary for long periods of time, they put this time to use wisely and building businesses is one way they can use their highly developed creativity.
They value this solitude and put limits on the number of people who are allowed access to their personal living space, which gives them more time to concentrate on their business. Not craving attention, their solitude lends them the ability to focus more on their work and they are able to process ideas and information much quicker without the incessant clamouring of others for their time and the distraction of too many people speaking at once.
Introverts tend to speak less, so listen more and observe what is going on around them. They pull in ideas from their environment and are so good at being independent that they are excellent innovators. Being different doesn’t bother them at all because they realize that what they think is much more important to them than what others think, unless it’s their customers who are speaking to them.
Since they do so well at one-on-one relationships, the outcome of any business problem is usually positive because of their great negotiating skills. They are far more adept at selectively deciding what is really important and what isn’t and know how to give and take and when it is in their best interest to give more than take, something that the majority of extroverts don’t understand at all.
All in all, both extroverts and introverts can be successful business owners if they understand how to use their talents to their advantage. Each works a different way and both ways, when focused solely on a business, can mean huge business growth.
© Chris Draper, DemGen Inc. 2015
image courtesy of fineartbyirenevincent
