Activate your Introvert

• Sweden’s PM has been tweeting the wrong Liz Truss.
• Swan on train tracks holds up rush hour commuters for an hour
• One of my favourite lines from Dale Carnegie is still getting quoted. “Show interest in others, and others will show interest in you”. I’m going to add a caveat to it though.
• A discussion with Lindsay Barnett: Lindsay provides flexible and independent HR support and advice to busy HR teams and businesses. Contact Lindsey at  https://lindsaybarnetthr.com
• Question of the week: Why should we treat introverts more softly than everybody else, there’s only one of two of them in the team.

My takeaways from the discussion were:

• It’s easy to disengage a large part of the team when trying to engage the team
• Ask, in different ways, what people want.
• Consider socialising ideas which involve talking about the specific event, not general chat.
• Get to know and understand your own preferences, so you don’t always impose them on others

• Introversial news: Dating apps, Morris dancers, labels and the world gravy wrestling championships:
• A discussion with Hadi Haboobi. Hadi is a peak performance mindset strategist who helps leaders step into their most focused states in less time   Contact Hadi at https://mindremastered.com
• Question of the week: Why do people find small talk so hard? For your guide to better small talk, click here

My takeaways from the discussion were:

• Overthinking can mean you attach too much to the problem. Detailed thinking is good, but try not to overthink.
• Some introverts limit their abilities due to the introvert label. Don’t live down to a label, live up to your full skills.
• Embracing uncertainty is an important leadership skill. Having more certainty about yourself is a good starting point.
• We all act from generalisations we’ve made from our past. Be aware of making news ones!
• To download Habi's booklet on embracing uncertainty, click here.
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What were yours? Add to a discussion on the Facebook page Activate Your Introvert

What question would you like answered about introversion? Visit ActivateYourIntrovert.co.uk  and let me know. I’ll answer your question on the show, and you'd be welcome to join me on the show, if you like.

• Ambiverts – a new type of person?
• You know what I mean? Actually, no I don’t and nor do you.
• Exercising your opposite personality muscles. Is convenience damaging us?
• A discussion with Tom Cleary: Tom is a wellbeing & Mental Health Consultant who specialising in Mindfulness in Education & Business.  Contact Tom at https://tom-cleary.co.uk/
• Question of the week: What’s the difference between ambivert and omnivert?

My takeaways from the discussion were:

• The importance of self-compassion, at least treat yourself as well as you’d treat your friends.
• Be more aware of how you talk to yourself, especially common phrases you use on yourself.
• Constructive feedback needs to build confidence, use facts not emotions and help the other person to create their answers rather than just giving them yours.
• Receiving feedback: Consider the context and look for patterns, rather than just accepting all feedback a damaging truth.

What were yours? Add to a discussion on the Facebook page Activate Your Introvert

What question would you like answered about introversion? Visit ActivateYourIntrovert.co.uk  and let me know. I’ll answer your question on the show, and you'd be welcome to join me on the show, if you like.

• The Edinburgh fringe got me thinking.
• Southend football club
• The NHS covid app
• A discussion with Jonathan Bowring: Jonathan is a Leadership and organisational coach who helps unlocking potential and helping people think.  Contact Jonathan at https://www.riversight.uk/
• Question of the week: Should I promote an introvert, or an extrovert to team leader?

My takeaways from the discussion were:

• We try to save energy in our brains and simplify. That’s where shortcuts come from, we are all really lazy
• Shortcuts are based on our experience, but as we now meet more people of different sorts, quick rules less effective. Answer – we need more patterns. We can’t stop using them, it’s hardwired

What were yours? Add to a discussion on the Facebook page Activate Your Introvert

What question would you like answered about introversion? Visit ActivateYourIntrovert.co.uk  and let me know. I’ll answer your question on the show, and you'd be welcome to join me on the show, if you like.

• Highwayman Dick Turpin is causing insults, early 300 years after his execution
• Table manners are changing.
• The benefits of stopping to think
• A discussion with Peter Milligan: Peter is an inspirational Speaker and Business Psychologist. He specialises in Leadership, Employee Engagement, & Embracing Change. Contact Peter at https://newgenerationleaders.com and sixtylessons.com|
• Question of the week: Are introverts more humble, and is that a good thing?

My takeaways from the discussion were:

• When the labelling starts, the listening stops.
• Encouraging somebody to do things without losing their natural way of being
• Confidence and introversion/ extroversion are not connected
• Insecurity can drive more extroverted behaviours
• Change your relationship with fear

What were yours? Add to a discussion on the Facebook page Activate Your Introvert

What question would you like answered about introversion? Visit ActivateYourIntrovert.co.uk  and let me know. I’ll answer your question on the show, and you'd be welcome to join me on the show, if you like.

• A discussion with Alastair Greener: Alastair is a communications Speaker & Consultant, Event MC and TV Presenter. We spent time talk about why everybody needs presentation skills as well as exploring introvert / extrovert differences. Contact Alastair at https://presentyourself.co.uk
• Very little else this week! My apologies, this week has been about bed, fever and brain fog (among other less pleasant things). But as the interview was worth sharing, I thought I'd strip back the normal format. Hopefully back to normal next week!

My takeaways from the discussion were:

• We all need presentation skills to get our message across, whatever that message is. Children are often very effective presenters, in that you act on their message.
• As a manager, or leader, your presentation skills will improve if you consider the style of the people you’re presenting too. If they don’t listen, there’s no point!
• Practice makes progress, not perfect
• Look for patterns in feedback, don’t hang on one person’s opinion

What were yours? Add to a discussion on the Facebook page Activate Your Introvert

What question would you like answered about introversion? Visit ActivateYourIntrovert.co.uk  and let me know. I’ll answer your question on the show, and you'd be welcome to join me on the show, if you like.

• Arguments, especially public ones
• Trans Rights
• Phones in meetings, and poor engagement: If you'd like to read a book about improving your meetings, click Running Meetings that make things happen.
• The Railway Children: Yes, that 1970’s film will help you think about something important!
• A discussion with Bina Briggs: Bina provides HR Support for Small Businesses on employment Law and Employment Policies; she used to be the HR Director for London Luton Airport and is also an author. Contact Bina at https://plaintalkinghr.com
• Question of the week: Do introverts and extroverts argue differently?

My takeaways from the discussion were:

• A leader is like a parent, in that you need to really know your employees
• Sharing vision, starting with onboarding
• Onboarding can be as simply as a checklist, to make new staff feel welcome
• Introverts – Make sure the dialogue is with others, not just in your head

What were yours? Add to a discussion on the Facebook page Activate Your Introvert

What question would you like answered about introversion? Visit ActivateYourIntrovert.co.uk  and let me know. I’ll answer your question on the show, and you'd be welcome to join me on the show, if you like.

• Mystic Veg: A fortune tellers’ predictions which seem as accurate as most instant introvert extrovert tests.
• A wedding proposal gone wrong: It seems dramatic stunts are not just used for poor quality team building events.
• Porn in the house: Doing things quietly in the corner is a good thing?
• Ejaculating bees: A sad story about hot weather.
• A discussion with Donna Obstfeld: Donna is an HR Specialist; helping employers who care about their people to make their workplace a better place to be; saving them time, money & stress. Contact Donna at https://DOHR.co.uk
• Question of the week: How does introversion affect personality?

My takeaways from the discussion were:

• A grievance can be a good thing, it allows clarity and conversation.
• Know how your staff like to interact.
• Know how people like to be dealt with.
• Confidence should not be conflated with introversion or extroversion

What were yours? Add to a discussion on the Facebook page Activate Your Introvert

What question would you like answered about introversion? Visit ActivateYourIntrovert.co.uk  and let me know. I’ll answer your question on the show, and you'd be welcome to join me on the show, if you like.

• Leading the country: The ongoing saga of choosing a new personality to drive our country forwards
• Ovation saturation. Have we got standing ovation inflation?
• Working from home: It's 13% more efficient than the office
• Team burning in Switzerland:  A horribly different problem at a team building event, where the normal problem is they don't work that well. 
• A discussion with Sharon Barton. Contact Sharon at https://harbourHR.co.uk
• Question of the week: Are introverts less authentic? Read more about the problem with authenticity at work 

My takeaways from the discussion were:

• Get to know your people and their preferences
• Like most other personality traits, introvert / extrovert is a spectrum
• As an introvert, when you speak people to listen
• Drive and desire may help you find tactics to appear more extroverted, but you’ll still lose “people energy” and have the benefits of internal processing
• Not down to leader to create environment on their own

What were yours? Add to a discussion on the Facebook page Activate Your Introvert

What question would you like answered about introversion? Visit ActivateYourIntrovert.co.uk  and let me know. I’ll answer your question on the show, and you'd be welcome to join me on the show, if you like.

• Love island, or is it loveless house?  The Conservative leadership race steps up.
• Do you respect other workers and do they respect you? A survey by officevibe
• Extroverts don't always make the most stable leaders. An article in TrainingZone
• A giant step for hamkind: A hamster survives daring trip into the stratosphere on a flying balloon
• A discussion with Tony Brooks: Tony is a leadership psychologist, runs leadership training workshops and speaks on survival psychology. Contact Tony at https://theleadershiptrainingworkshop.com/
• Question of the week: What should I NOT ask an introvert?

Please complete this short survey on ego, extroversion and drive for success. Click here (5 questions)

My takeaways from the discussion were:

• Human nature to doubt ourselves -many people don’t feel good enough
• Introverts may need to make themselves socialise at times and lockdown got us out of practice.
• Being aware of doubting yourself can give you power.
• Survival psychology: We used to be afraid of sabre tooth tigers, now it’s often our ego!

What were yours? Add to a discussion on the Facebook page Activate Your Introvert

What question would you like answered about introversion? Visit ActivateYourIntrovert.co.uk  and let me know. I’ll answer your question on the show, and you'd be welcome to join me on the show, if you like.

Download your guide to small talk and introverts. Click here