How to Be a Team Player at Work as an Introvert
Just the thought of having to work with a group of people sends most introverts rolling their eyes; if you’re anything like me, that’s how it was in your schooling years, and that’s how it will be in the workplace.
Don’t fret; there are some ways we introverts can use in the workplace to make group work a little less demanding and more bearable.
Here are the tips I’ll cover in this article:
Don’t be self-conscious just because there are extroverts on your team
Speak up if you know you have something valuable to say
Learn to be assertive (in your own way)
Don’t try to do everything by yourself
Use your unique, introspective qualities to encourage team members
Try to come in with a positive outlook
Don’t Be Self-Conscious Just Because There Are Extroverts on Your Team
When you’re one of very few introverts on a team full of extroverts, it’s easy to second-guess your abilities because of the sometimes overpowering nature that extroverted energy emits. If you’ve ever been the only introvert in a room full of extroverts, you know what I mean; it’s almost like being a calm, quiet deer witnessing a couple of lions go at it in their own lion way, and you can’t figure out the right way to insert your quiet, reserved personality into their seemingly bigger-than-life interaction.
The key is to have confidence in your abilities and what you have to offer the discussion, and then use that confidence to work with your team. Completely put the introverted-extroverted stuff aside, and try to focus on the work.
Your extroverted coworkers are probably not intentionally trying to ignore or overlook you, but it’s just what happens when introverts and extroverts have to work together. So, you should just realize that you deserve to be there as much as anyone else does, and you might have to be a little more assertive than you would normally be to make sure that your voice is heard (I’ll talk more about how to be more assertive later on in this article).
Speak Up if You Have Something Valuable to Say
While not all introverts are shy in the workplace, it’s not uncommon for introverts to be quick to listen and slow to speak in team meetings because of our natural tendency towards reserving our thoughts. The ability to reserve your opinions until you have all the facts and are ready to give a thoughtful answer is a really valuable quality to have in a lot of cases, but in the context of a team meeting where multiple people are exchanging ideas, this behavior can sometimes cause you to miss opportunities to speak on certain topics.
I remember several meetings in my early corporate days as a software engineer when I didn’t speak up even when I had something that I thought could offer a unique and helpful perspective, only for someone else to move the conversation in another direction, and there was really no way for me to steer the conversation back so that I could put my two cents in. If that happens enough times, it can make you seem like you don’t have anything valuable to add, or even worse, that you’re just uninterested in the discussion. So, in the context of team or group work, ignore you’re natural tendency as an introvert and speak up as soon as you have something valuable to say.
Learn to Be Assertive (In Your Own Way)
Sometimes, introverts have a tendency to be overlooked or ignored because of our quiet, slow-to-speak ways, and this can be made worse if you happen to be a shy introvert. For most of us, we like it that way, but in the workplace, your ideas and opinions being overlooked does not help your career, your reputation at work, and maybe even your paycheck. This is why it’s important for you to be assertive so that your ideas are still heard, but in your own, introverted way.
As an introvert myself who spent years in the corporate workplace, the last thing I want to tell you to do is to mimic an extroverted personality to be more assertive (unless you think that would be more helpful than my advice), but the good news is I think it’s possible to be more assertive without having to pretend to be someone else entirely.
Here are a few ways that I’ve found help me be more assertive without being overt:
Speak with confidence, meaning in a clear, legible tone without the nervous “Uh’s” and “Umm’s.”
Provide more context and facts behind your reasoning so that people are more likely to listen.
Try to stay away from using phrases like, “I just think…” or “I feel like…” in the workplace. Use more direct language that is not so apologetic, like, “I think…” or “In my experience…” or “The better option seems to be…”
Don’t Try to Do Everything by Yourself
Introverts tend to work better alone, whether it’s because we are nervous about whether or not we can be assertive in a group setting, or we work better when we can stay in our own heads without external distractions. The tough news is that your place of work is giving you your paycheck, i.e. your livelihood, and when you’re in the work place, you will inevitably have to work alongside others and ask for other people’s expertise. If you don’t learn this skill, you risk doing something incorrectly because you didn’t want to ask somebody else for help, or equally as worse, your coworkers and higher-ups might mistake this behavior as an unwillingness to work with others, which isn’t a good look.
So, don’t be so timid about asking for help when you need it, or even if you don’t need help but could still benefit from a second or third opinion.
Use Your Unique Qualities to Encourage Team Members
Introverts tend to be more sensitive towards our own and other people’s emotions because we’re always deep in our own thoughts. This allows you to be encouraging to team members that you sense are more introverted like you, shy, or maybe lack confidence in their own abilities.
For instance, if you notice a shy team member who is talking in a timid almost whisper in the meeting as I used to do before I overcame my shyness, you are more likely to connect with their feelings of discomfort around people, even if you are a socially confident introvert. This gives you an opportunity to reach out to them in ways that more extroverted people may not be as likely to.
Try to Come in With a Positive Outlook
Introverts tend to dread the social drain that group/team work involves, but if you go into it with a defeated mindset only focusing on the future bad things that are to come, you won’t have a good attitude while you’re engaging with your teammates, and then they will not respond well to you.
In general, you should focus on the things you can control, and a big thing you have control over is your attitude about work, so set aside your dread for now, and come in with a positive attitude.
Did you find these tips helpful in your own place of work? Let me know; I love hearing stories from fellow introverts like you!
