- By Vinay Maheshwari

While introverts tend to be quieter, gaining enjoyment from spending time alone, extroverts are more socially present, thriving on the energy of those around them, often finding themselves the centre of attention in large social groups. One out of every two or three people you know is an introvert. So even if you’re an extrovert yourself, your co-workers, your spouses and your children and the person sitting next to you right now could be an introvert.

Our institutions like schools and workplaces are designed mostly for extroverts. This may be the reason when it comes to leadership, extroverts find it easy to win the positions and attention.

That can be one reason, our social behaviour takes the side of an extrovert on most occasions. Take the example of parents who would always want their children to mix up with relatives and neighbours, recite poems, perform dance and showcase other talents to visitors at home. While teachers would normally interact more with extroverted students who raise hands first in the class or scream to draw attention and probably may not even know the names of some of the introverted students. Unfortunately, teachers' eyes are not trained to spot shyness among an introvert. Shyness is about fear of social judgment. Introversion is more about how you respond to stimulation, including social stimulation. Besides, a teacher has a compulsion to keep the class lively. Hence she seeks support from an extrovert who craves large amounts of encouragement, thus making the class a bit noisy so that boredom doesn’t set in.

Does that mean an introvert won’t get what he/she deserves? No that’s not true. A study by Harvard Business Review revealed that introverted leaders have delivered better results when handling proactive workers than extroverts. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffet or Abraham Lincoln are all introverted leaders. That is because introverts feel most switched on when they are in quieter or in more low-key environments.

That may be the reason the wired world is seeking both introverted and extroverted tendencies which they call ambiverts. Culturally, we need a much better balance. We need more of a yin and yang between these two types. In ancient Chinese philosophy, yin and yang is a concept of dualism, describing how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world.

Therefore, parents and teachers, it is our responsibility to accept and learn the nature of our kids. Don’t panic if they are more of an introvert than an extrovert. Our duty is to help them strike the right balance and make them ambiverts.

(The author is Executive Director & CEO with Sakshi Media Group.)