Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Matthew Long's avatar

In my line of work (military) we often receive feedback whether we want it or not! There are a lot of Type A Extroverts in military leadership positions. As an introvert promoted into leadership roles, I had to figure out both how to receive this feedback from senior officers and also how to give it to the Sailors who worked for me. I discovered early on that I responded better and so did my Sailors when the feedback was honest and direct but presented in a way that showed the leader genuinely cares about the subordinate. Whenever I want to correct a behavior in one of my Sailors I will say, "I want you to know how much I appreciate the work you are doing and I especially noticed the effort you put into xyz. It is making a big difference for our team. I think that abc could be improved somewhat and I would like you to try and do it like this as that will help the team out quite a bit." People are more receptive when they know they are valued. It is still difficult to hear correction at times but when presented from a place of true concern it is easier to stomach.

As an aside, I refuse to answer a phone without caller ID. That is just a nightmare waiting to happen.

Expand full comment
the real pambo's avatar

As an introvert that doesn’t want to miss stuff, moving through the world can be an exhausting conundrum. I relate to Adam’s anxiety caused by answering the phone or raising a hand in class, etc. Public speaking, speaking up at work in a group setting, to this day is still terrifying. In other life activities, with time and quiet observation of others and how they operate, I’ve learned how to put myself out there to be able to do all that stuff I want to do. It’s never innately a comfortable place, but I think repetition paired with ambition helps tamp down the apprehension.

Expand full comment
49 more comments...

No posts