How to manage an introvert

Judge their work and not their volume: that's the core of how to manage an introvert well, along with regular one-on-ones and making sure their contributions get seen. Many introverts do excellent work without drawing attention. The risk for you is overlooking them, and for them it's being passed over for someone louder.

An audit for managers

Answer these honestly. They might point out things you hadn't noticed.

1. Who got the last two stretch projects? Were they the best people, or the ones who asked in the corridor?
2. In your last team meeting, who spoke the most? Did those people also have the best ideas?
3. Who on your team has never disagreed with you out loud? Do you know what they actually think?
4. When was the last time you asked for input in writing, before a meeting?
5. Whose work do you only know about because they told you?

If you squirmed a bit at any of these, you're in good company. Most workplaces reward whoever's easiest to see.

Your one-on-ones are the main event

An introvert on your team may give you more in thirty minutes alone than in a year of group sessions. So guard that time, and shape it to suit them.

• Send a topic or two beforehand. "Tomorrow I'd like to hear your thoughts on the new roster and where you want to be in a year." The second one especially needs some thinking time.
• Leave silence alone. Ask a question, then wait. You may feel the pause is awkward, but they're using it.
• Try a walk. Some people find it easier to talk when they aren't being looked at across a desk.
• Ask for the view they haven't shared. "What did you think in that meeting that you didn't say?" is a very productive question.

Making the work seen

Your job includes being their publicist, at least until they'd like to do it themselves. Credit them by name when you're in a room they are not in. Forward their analysis with their name on it. Invite them to present to senior people, and be sure to give them plenty of time to prepare.

Have a direct talk about this too, since it might be costing them:

"The review of supplier costs saved us real money, and I doubt anyone upstairs knows it was you. I'd like to change that. Are you okay with me mentioning it to Helen, and how would you feel about presenting it to her yourself? It's your call. I want this to count for you."

Some people will leap at the chance. Others may ask for a written version. Either way, they'll know you've noticed.

Promotion and leadership

Be careful with the phrase "leadership presence". It often quietly means "talks a lot and looks confident". Plenty of introverted people lead well. They tend to listen, take time over their decisions and let others shine. Check whether your criteria for promotion are really about outcomes, or about a personal style. If someone's growth truly does require more visible communication, name the specific skill, and help them build it in their own way. For example, ask them to run a smaller meeting, or to share a written update with the wider team.

Designing the team's environment

Open plan offices, surprise calls and back-to-back meetings can wear down quieter people faster. You may not control the floor plan, but you can make it normal to wear headphones, block out focus time, and turn cameras off for some meetings. Ask what would help, and don't assume. For instance, some introverts may love hybrid work, while others miss having a few people around them.

Watch out for social load, too. If they've just run a full-day client workshop, then don't book the team dinner for that evening and expect them to sparkle. A quiet "Skip tonight if you need to, I know it's been a big day" is the sort of thing people remember.

Hard conversations

When there's something tricky to raise, give them some notice and a little time to respond. You might also find it's useful to read about feedback more broadly in our guide to giving feedback to someone low in extraversion.

Beyond your team

Some of the same ideas apply in other relationships, for instance in how to date an introvert and how to parent an introverted child. If you're an introverted manager with an outgoing report, flip it around, and see how to be friends with an extrovert for a start on what energises them.

Your team's quietest voice might be happy to fill you in, in writing. Get a Field Guide written for the people in your life.

Before you redesign anything, check your own wiring with the Social Energy Expedition. Your own style has probably shaped more of your team's habits than you think.