If you're an introverted leader, you may sometimes feel like you don't have the same abilities as your more extroverted colleagues. But that doesn't have to be the case! There are plenty of ways for introverts to use their "superpowers" and make a real impact in their organizations. In this podcast, I speak with Francis Ma - Director of Product Management at Google. We talk about his journey from Software Engineer to becoming a leader of hundreds of Engineers reporting to him at Google.  

In this episode, we discuss:  

2:50 – Transitioning from a Technical Individual Contributor Role to Managing a Team

9:29 – Learning when to be Hands-on and Hands-off

12:57 – Mistakes to avoid as a First-time Manager

15:09 – How to learn to be an Adaptive Communicator

16:46 – Advice for Introverted Leaders

19:13 – Advantages of being an Introverted Leader

21:04 – How introverted leaders can be successful in fast-paced environments

About Francis Ma:  

Francis is a Director of Product Management at Google. Since joining in 2011, he has led a number of teams working on products such as Firebase, Google Cloud and Android.  He has also presented in front of thousands of people at Google’s annual Developer Day called Google I/O.  Prior to Google, Francis was an entrepreneur and tech startup co-founder in Toronto.  Before that, he worked at Amazon as a Software Engineering Manager. Outside of work, Francis loves playing ice hockey, spending time with his family and aspires to be a chef someday!

Resources mentioned in this episode:  

Francis' Twitter:  @cantforget 

Social Styles Handbook:  https://www.amazon.com/Social-Styles-Handbook-Learning-Library/dp/9077256334/ 

Chris Asper:  www.chrisasper.com