Putting aside the argument that the world favours extroverted personality traits, introversion/extroversion is a topic of my personal interest and it strikes me that many architects that I have worked with appear to be introverted.
Paradoxically, the role of an architect often requires the individual to be in the spotlight, whether it is in the situation of facilitating a workshop with various stakeholders or communicating with C-level executives the necessary changes within the organisation. While these architects that I’ve worked with have all adapted well in the working environment with excellent socialising skills, many prefer spending their time in a quiet corner or working from home so that they can focus on the task and contemplating for a solution to the problem at hand. I observed that they have an immense interest in how things work, enjoy immersing themselves in the exercise of dissecting different functions and capabilities within the organisation and finding out how they fit together to deliver an outcome that is aligned to the business strategies and goals. They have an acute sense of observation and their intuition often leads them to discern the subtle political undercurrents. Being soft-spoken and disliking conflicts, their inclination to listen and think before they speak has been known to diffuse tense situations that involved heated debates.
When asked about their thoughts on the topic of introvert as an architect, these colleagues of mine shared with me a few tips:
- While the communicating skill is important, the ability to listen attentively and the patience to hear people out is imperative
- Since introverts tend to feel drained when there is too much external stimulation or interaction with others, always plan for quiet time alone to recharge/reflect
- Form allies and reach out to others for help
- Develop strategies to deal with conflicts – for example, understand that heated debates are not always personal, try steering discussion towards reasons/rationales rather than one that is based on emotional/perception/fear/prejudice
- Creativity and productivity usually happens in solitude but it needs to be in balance with collaboration in a team setting
Of course, the tendency of introversion or extroversion is not absolute and we can behave in one way or the other depending on the circumstances. It is also important to stress that being introverted or extroverted does not reflect the quality of the work that an architect can deliver. But if you think that an introvert would not be able to succeed in the field of enterprise architecture, you might have underestimated the power of introverts.
Hi Scott,
Thanks for your reply.
I have no problems with opinions and I can see Scott’s point as you have restated it. It just did not come across very friendly.
Best regards,
Petra
Lovely post Eric. It’s good to think about the different styles that people have and how that affects their energy when they are working and interacting with others. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Thanks Fiona! I’m trying to encourage introverted people in the field of architecture to think that there’s nothing wrong with them and can succeed with the right attitude and coping strategies. And for everyone in the workplace to be aware of the preference of how individual interacts with others.
Hi, I have read the book, and I think Ms Cains also states that introverts and extroverts might need to work together as teams to fulfil opportunities and risks at the same time improving rate of success. From my experience, I have come to understand that a strong network of different types of personalities and attitudes help build the teams into high performing groups. There is always a reason to stick people together, and probably that is one of the main contributions of great leaders.
Thanks for the comment, Rodrigo. Agree with you that teamwork does the wonder! There’s a place for everyone of different personality traits, the main thing is to understand your strength and seek ways to bridge the gap of your weakness. One effectively way would be to seek help from others and form allies.
Bill Gates came to Australia a few months ago and during an interview program (Q&A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edhd9WIIpmY, at about 21 min of the clip), an audience asked how he succeeded in a predominantly extroverted world. He smiled and answered “… Introvert can do quite well… If you come up with something… you better learn what extroverts do, you better hire some extroverts… and tap into both sets of skills”.
I agree with Alan McNamara: Enterprise Architects should train themselves to be both introvert and extrovert as the communication scenario demands.
With the right experience, grounding and training all personality types – introverts, extroverts and those in between – can make good architects. It is typical to see an EA team with all personality traits; would be too much of a group-think if it were otherwise.
Attitude matters more than personality types. By attitude, I mean perseverance and willingness to stick one’s neck out if the situation demands. Willingness to speak up when something is not right is perhaps as important as the right way to say it; and finding right forum where voicing an opinion will matter.
ps: Will post a review of Quiet after I read it.
Couldn’t agree with you more, Mohan! Especially the comment regarding the right attitude of “speaking up and the right way to say it”.
I was talking recently with a friend of mine who is a lecturer at UTS. We were discussing what the key characteristics of a person was which would assist them in IT.
From his experience in both industry and as a teacher, he proposed that the people best suited for a career in IT are pedants – in the positive form of “a person who is excessively concerned with formalism and precision” (Wikipedia).
Now I have heard the definitions of extroverts as people who need to speak to think and introverts who need to think to speak. On this definition (which I am not necessarily endorsing) it would be expected to find more introverts than extroverts in the ranks of IT.
However, the role of an architect is not a typical IT role. A principle function of architects is to act as a boundary communication path between business stakeholders and IT (and visa versa). I believe architects should train themselves to be both introvert and extrovert as the communication scenario demands. A challenge I know, but although a tendency to introversion or extroversion is innate, the alternate communication style can be learnt.
Your thoughts please.
Thanks for the comment, Alan.
My understanding is that, many architects are from the IT background traditionally but the trend is definitely changing.
In the blog, I am trying to encourage the introverts who are considering a career in architecture… It’s ok to be an introverted architect! Many of my colleagues are. As you’ve highlighted, communication skill is paramount in order to be successful as an architect (in any career, really) but active listening and other interpersonal skills are definitely not to be overlooked.
The best definition of introvert versus extrovert that I’ve heard of is that extroverts gain energy by lots of external stimulation whereas an introverted individual would find too much stimulation draining. We all find ourselves behave in one way or the other depending on the circumstances.
As I’ve mentioned in the blog, the role of an architect can be additional demanding to introverted individuals due to the need to be in the spotlight frequently. Hopefully the tips that I’ve shared in the blog will be helpful to them.
Great post Eric! I find myself deeply respecting people who can, in a few words, cut straight to the heart of an issue and reveal important insights. Gravitas comes with knowing how to use silence to make your point. Sometimes that silence can be hours, not seconds.
I agree with your point that introverts tend to listen and think before they speak. Perhaps that’s why the room goes quiet and people pay attention when the introvert starts to speak.
Of course introverts can make good Architects.
Introverts still enjoy social contact, they just generate their own energy in solitude whereas those noisy, needy, attention-seeking extroverts are like leeches sucking energy from others!
Hi Eric,
I enjoyed reading your article and the discussion illustrates how diversity is essential to ensure that all perspectives are represented.
I do want to note that I feel that comments (Scott) that attack one or the other are just not helpful. To be very honest the reaction would sooner be attributed to an extrovert than introvert as it does not really show much maturity to react without thinking of the consequences. Although the fact that no last name was posted might say it all.
Personally I am a complete extrovert and have had to adapt to introvert thinking to ensure that appropriate time and reflection is given to topics before forming an opinion.
The hard thing with extroverts is that most of the time you are actually “just thinking”. It is only when you have gathered your input and taken a step back to rationalise it, that you form your final opinion.
We all need both to become rounded, balanced individuals.
Thanks for kind words, Petra. In relation to Scott’s comment, I believe he’s stating in a light-hearted manner that too much external stimulation drains introverted individuals, whereas it’s the opposite for extroverts. I guess in a society of free-speech, everyone is entitled to voice their opinions