This is the first book on influencing others that is aimed squarely at introverts, who make up half of the U.S. population. Jenifer Kahnweiler demonstrates how introverts, who get their energy from within, can be the most effective influencers of all by playing to their natural strengths rather than by trying to use traditional, extrovert-based influencing methods.
Introverts may feel powerless in a world where extroverts seem to rule, but there's more than one way to have some sway. Jennifer Kahnweiler proves introverts can be highly effective influencers when, instead of trying to act like extroverts, they use their natural strengths to make a difference. Kahnweiler identifies six unique strengths of introverts and includes a Quiet Influence Quotient (QIQ) quiz to measure how well you're using these six strengths now. Then, through questions, tools, exercises, and powerful real-world examples, you will increase your mastery of these strengths.
- The first book to identify six unique strengths that can make introverts powerful influencers
- Includes quizzes, exercises, and worksheets for putting quiet influencer methods into practice on a daily basis
- Features interviews with and examples of real-life quiet influencers
- For press release, click here
- Companion online product: Quiet Influence Quotient (QIQ) Self-Assessment
Introverts may feel powerless in a world where extroverts seem to rule, but theres more than one way to have some sway. As Jennifer Kahnweiler proves in this much-needed book, introverts can be highly effective influencers when, instead of trying to act like extroverts, they use their natural strengths. Kahnweiler shows how you can use those strengths to challenge the status quo, provoke new ways of thinking, effect change, and inspire others to move forward.
Kahnweiler identifies six unique strengths introverts have:
- Taking Quiet Time: The periods of solitude that introverts crave provide them with a powerful source of creativity and self-awareness.
- Preparation: Careful preparation, which makes introverts feel more comfortable, also makes them very knowledgeable and able to anticipate objections.
- Writing: Introverts preference for writing over speaking enables them to influence others through deep, authentic, well-developed arguments.
- Engaged Listening: Introverts are great listenerstheyd rather listen than talkwhich is a crucial skill for establishing rapport and mutual understanding.
- Focused Conversation: Introverts dont like small talk, but they excel at the serious, purpose-driven, one-on-one interactions vital for winning people over.
- Thoughtful Use of Social Media: Oversharing doesnt appeal to introverts online any more than it does offline, so they naturally use social media in a thoughtful, and more effective, way.
Kahnweiler includes a Quiet Influence Quotient quiz to measure how well youre using these six strengths now. Then, through questions, tools, exercises, and real-world examples, she helps you increase your mastery of these strengths. Quiet Influence is the must-have guide to deeper insight and greater impact that introverts have been waiting for and that extroverts can learn from.
This is the first book on influencing others that is aimed squarely at introverts, who make up half of the U.S. population. Jenifer Kahnweiler demonstrates how introverts, who get their energy from within, can be the most effective influencers of all by playing to their natural strengths rather than by trying to use traditional, extrovert-based influencing methods.
Introverts may feel powerless in a world where extroverts seem to rule, but there's more than one way to have some sway. Jennifer Kahnweiler proves introverts can be highly effective influencers when, instead of trying to act like extroverts, they use their natural strengths to make a difference. Kahnweiler identifies six unique strengths of introverts and includes a Quiet Influence Quotient (QIQ) quiz to measure how well you're using these six strengths now. Then, through questions, tools, exercises, and powerful real-world examples, you will increase your mastery of these strengths.
- The first book to identify six unique strengths that can make introverts powerful influencers
- Includes quizzes, exercises, and worksheets for putting quiet influencer methods into practice on a daily basis
- Features interviews with and examples of real-life quiet influencers
- For press release, click here
- Companion online product: Quiet Influence Quotient (QIQ) Self-Assessment
Introverts may feel powerless in a world where extroverts seem to rule, but theres more than one way to have some sway. As Jennifer Kahnweiler proves in this much-needed book, introverts can be highly effective influencers when, instead of trying to act like extroverts, they use their natural strengths. Kahnweiler shows how you can use those strengths to challenge the status quo, provoke new ways of thinking, effect change, and inspire others to move forward.
Kahnweiler identifies six unique strengths introverts have:
- Taking Quiet Time: The periods of solitude that introverts crave provide them with a powerful source of creativity and self-awareness.
- Preparation: Careful preparation, which makes introverts feel more comfortable, also makes them very knowledgeable and able to anticipate objections.
- Writing: Introverts preference for writing over speaking enables them to influence others through deep, authentic, well-developed arguments.
- Engaged Listening: Introverts are great listenerstheyd rather listen than talkwhich is a crucial skill for establishing rapport and mutual understanding.
- Focused Conversation: Introverts dont like small talk, but they excel at the serious, purpose-driven, one-on-one interactions vital for winning people over.
- Thoughtful Use of Social Media: Oversharing doesnt appeal to introverts online any more than it does offline, so they naturally use social media in a thoughtful, and more effective, way.
Kahnweiler includes a Quiet Influence Quotient quiz to measure how well youre using these six strengths now. Then, through questions, tools, exercises, and real-world examples, she helps you increase your mastery of these strengths. Quiet Influence is the must-have guide to deeper insight and greater impact that introverts have been waiting for and that extroverts can learn from.
“Jennifer Kahnweiler shows you how the masters of the art of quiet are able to get more done, be more creative, and sustain more energy than those who often live and work at a frantic, out-loud, always-on pace. The lessons in Quiet Influence will increase your capacity to have a profound effect on the actions and thoughts of others.”
—Jim Kouzes, coauthor of The Leadership Challenge and Dean's Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University
“Quiet Influence is a great resource for introverts who want to learn how to use their strengths to maximize their effectiveness in the workplace. But wait—it's also a wonderful handbook for extroverts (like me) who want to understand more about what makes their less-gregarious friends and colleagues tick.”
—Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and Great Leaders Grow
“Jennifer Kahnweiler shows millions of introverts how to harness the strengths they already have. It is the must-have guide to greater insight and impact that we've been waiting for.”
—Dudley White, Senior Vice President, Professional Services, Equifax
"This extraordinary book shows that you don't have to raise your volume to have a voice."
— Susan Cain, author of the New York Times Bestseller Quiet
Preface
Introduction: Why Quiet Influence, Why Now?
Chapter 1: Stop Trying To Act Like an Extrovert
Chapter 2: The Six Strengths of Quiet Influencers
Chapter 3: Your Quiet Influence Quotient (QIQ)
Chapter 4: Quiet Influence Strength #1: Taking Quiet Time
Chapter 5: Quiet Influence Strength #2: Preparation
Chapter 6: Quiet Influence Strength #3: Engaged Listening
Chapter 7: Quiet Influence Strength #4: Focused Conversations
Chapter 8: Quiet Influence Strength #5: Writing
Chapter 9: Quiet Influence Strength # 6: Thoughtful Use of Social Media
Chapter 10: Making a Quiet Difference
Your Quiet Influence Quotient (QIQ) Self-Assessment Product
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
About Jennifer
Working with the Author
Introduction
Why Quiet Influence, Why Now?
Do you work in a company? How about in a nonprofit that competes for funding?
Do you work in a government agency with contractors?
Are you an entrepreneur or freelancer who sells products or services?
Are you in technology, engineering, or science?
Do you work in sales, marketing, project management, teaching, medicine, the law, human resources, or administration?
The truth is that everyone in a professional role needs to influence others. From Seoul to Seattle, today's competitive workplace demands that you influence a variety of situations and people, not once in a while but multiple times a day. Although influence is sometimes about really big issues and opportunities, it is also about nudging change along one small step at a time.
Noted researchers such as Jay Conger (“The Necessary Art of Persuasion”) have found that selling ideas and getting people on board is a process, not an event.1 Influence is not about forcing people to come to see things your way but about learning from others and negotiating a shared solution. This approach is well suited to the introvert temperament. It involves patience, planning, and perseverance. If we all think that the only way to get things done is to shout louder and louder and take up more center-stage space, we'll miss the opportunities to listen, learn, and respond thoughtfully.
It may be that our society is starting to get this message. Extroverts are slowly (very slowly, some argue) realizing that we stand to lose the wisdom and contributions of more than half of the population if we don't listen to the introverts in our world. Since the 2009 publication of my last book, The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength (the first book about introverted leaders), a firestorm of other books (including Susan Cain's 2012 New York Times bestseller Quiet), articles and social media have crusaded for the cause of introverts. I have been gratified to hear the buzz of such conversations everywhere.
Moreover, even though they will never really experience how an introvert truly feels, extroverts are starting to get the differences on a personal level. They push their pens in my hand to sign a copies of The Introverted Leader for their sons, spouses, and siblings, who they never quite understood. Hope for a broader change springs from such a personal connection.
Perhaps the strongest driver for Quiet Influence, however, is how it can contribute to success in today's shifting workplace. These four trends indicate that the time for Quiet Influence is now:
1. Flattened organizations and complex vendor, supplier, and customer interactions mean that you must, no matter what your position or personality type, be effective at getting your ideas heard. Gone are the days when you can rely on a boss or your boss's boss to make your case for you. You have to establish critical relationships and communicate key messages yourself.
2. Going global means that you need to find multiple ways to influence an increasingly diverse set of colleagues and customers. For example, your more reflective, low-key influencing approach will be much more effective with your colleagues in Asia than a traditional extroverted one. You can use your Quiet Influence skills to make a difference with those in cultures that value a quieter approach.
3. The virtual world is evolving and ever present. In today's society, it's highly unlikely that you can influence a broad group of people without using digital media in purposeful ways. Introverts, as particularly thoughtful users of social media, may well be ahead of the game. They have been drawn to social media because it lets them use their strengths and better manage their communication. You and other Quiet Influencers who have already invested in learning and using social media are poised to effect tomorrow's change more quickly than influencers who have ignored these technologies.
4. Heightened competition for business and jobs means that companies are seeking suppliers and employees who bring fresh, innovative approaches. The truth is, extrovert-centric self-promotion and loud persuasion are passé. Today, you will stand out from the crowd if you have a knack for building up others and are committed to listening instead of talking.
Because Quiet Influence is already what you do naturally, these trends offer you the impetus to enhance those skills. Your time has come. This book is written to help you and millions of other introverts recognize, develop, and highlight your innate influencing strengths. Together, you make up about 50 percent of the world's population, and you can make a big difference in organizations and communities around the world. I encourage you to applaud the success of your strengths and practice making a difference without making a lot of noise.
I believe that as these trends intensify, the tide will turn and extroverts will want to learn Quiet Influencing strengths from the introverts they know. Many extroverts recognize that they are more effective, flexible, adaptable influencers when their influencing toolbox includes a wider variety of approaches.
I'll admit it: I am one such extrovert. I needed to practice how to make a difference without making a lot of noise. For much of my professional life, I went along with the ill-founded belief that the Type A approach, with its emphasis on talking and finding center stage, delivered results. I am a speaker, executive coach, and author whose job it is to influence people to try new approaches in their lives. Of course, I thought, that means being “out there” and being “on.” I moved very fast, did a lot of winging it, and often found a way to attract attention. As I progressed in my career, I embodied the stereotype of the loud, assertive New Yorker I was.
Yet I grew up quietly watching people. My dad, Alvin Boretz, was a TV and film screenwriter, and many of our dinner conversations were about people, their motivations and behavior. Because Dad's work depended on picking up the nuances of dialogue, the meanings of conversations were of endless interest to our family. It was not unusual to see my extroverted family of four sitting quietly in Cairo's, our local Italian restaurant, listening to simultaneous conversations around us. On the way home, we would share dialogues we overheard and wonder aloud about the lives and relationships of our fellow diners. The introverts offered few verbal clues, so we had a field day guessing what could have been going on in their lives. Those quieter, low-key families, so different from ours, were especially intriguing to me. What was going on with them?
I embarked on my career and continued to be an observer of introverts. I was still people watching, and the people who continued to intrigue me were the introverts—those people who sometimes struggled in leadership positions even though they had all the power they nedded deep inside. I wrote The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength to give these talented people a guide for being in charge while being themselves.
During the research for that book and in countless interactions since its publication, I have found myself increasingly drawn to the stories and experiences of introverts. The more I speak with, listen to, coach, and write about introverts, the more I appreciate their sensibility. I have realized that the quiet language of the introvert is refreshingly different from my natural outgoing persona, and I recognize that I can incorporate introverted traits and behaviors in order to have a greater impact. For instance, instead of rushing on to that conference call at the last minute, I can spend some quiet time sitting on my deck watching the trees and reflecting on my purpose for the day. Or in lieu of randomly posting something on Facebook, I can think of the other tasks that await me. Or in working through a sticky relationship, I can write out my thoughts to gain clarity on where I stand.
All in all, I recognize that a powerful shift occurs in me when I flow into the less prominent side of my personality. When I choose to embrace my internal energy, I gain deeper insights, delve into my creativity, and become more centered. Jungian psychologists would say that I am releasing a potent force by tapping into the less dominant side of my temperament. I simply see that I have been influenced by the introverts I set out to influence.
Inspired by the Quiet Influencers I have met and the effect they had on me, I turned my attention to the question of how these successful introverts make a difference. How exactly do they challenge the status quo, provoke new ways of thinking, or inspire others to move forward? What inner strengths do they call upon to effect change? What steps do they take to influence others?
In my professional life, I have interacted with thousands of people who deepened my knowledge of the introvert experience and gave me ideas about how to answer these questions. Class discussions, questions after speeches, and problems that surfaced in coaching sessions have all contributed to my understanding and perspective. In my role as an author and journalist, I met a wide range of introverts and have written and been interviewed for a number of articles on the topic of introverts in the workplace for publications such as Forbes, Bloomberg Business Week, and the Wall Street Journal. Through hallway conversations, follow-up emails, and blog comments, I have gained an even deeper understanding about how introverts experience their world and the ways in which they use their natural strengths to get through to people in powerful ways.
I have also been fortunate to be plugged into a vibrant community of Quiet Influencers. I specifically asked these professionals from a wide range of fields and organizations about their approach to influence. They often provided written responses, and I followed up with phone interviews to enhance my understanding. In their characteristically humble way, they shared about the myriad ways in which they make a difference with other people and organizations. As privacy-valuing introverts, several of these Quiet Influencers asked that their names not be used. In those cases, I have replaced their name with a first-name-only pseudonym. Many others agreed that I could use their names, and I have included those in the text.
I have done my best to capture the stories that motivated me as I sought to answer my driving question: how do they make an impact by building on their natural, quiet strengths? I then distilled their answers into the six strengths you will read about in the chapters ahead. In these strengths, I hope you find your own unique expression of Quiet Influence.
