Joan's Story
How I Became Comfortable as an Introvert in Business
Suffice it to say, I’m an introvert. Being naturally “programmed” for introversion caused me some difficulty earlier in my career as I really didn’t understand the fact of it, and that it did me no good to try to be otherwise. For years I was frustrated because it seemed to be nearly impossible to move into leadership positions in my first jobs after college. I was good as a supporting player but not as a leader. Quite frankly, the office politics seemed to necessitate a certain kind of approach that fully and completely eluded me.
It was only when I left the traditional office and moved into retail that I was able to make headway into a leadership role. I set on this path quite deliberately and when I asked my former sister-in-law for an introduction at the local Waldenbooks I found my first business home. What was different?
- First of all, books!
- Secondly, a small business environment inside a larger company
- Thirdly, a personal connection
It helped, too, that I had set out to move into management from the beginning. It turns out that my love of books, combined with my natural organizational and customer service skills, were an excellent fit for this environment. Within 3 months I’d moved from bookseller to assistant manager, then to manager in training and finally to store manager, and eventually to training manager.
Starting my coaching business gave me an even bigger platform for setting sail as a leader. With a lot of leeway about how I could conduct and build my business, it gave me the perfect forum through which to work directly with people, to express my creativity, and set my own hours. Even here, my introversion created some difficulty in the beginning,specifically around marketing. That first year in business was a painful one. I created my website, wrote my brochure, but could not muster up the courage to get out and start networking. (Thank goodness I still had a job.) Little by little, I embarked in training and education that showed me EXACTLY what to do, and in such a way that I could actually do it.
Most helpful to my development as a leader and coach have been:
- My coaches and mentors, the women (and men) who have seen the spark of talent and leadership and encouraged me to step into such roles at various points along the way.
- The health practitioners who have helped me unravel the fear buried in my body, making way for a more authentic voice and the courage to speak.
- The many, many books that have provided hours of inspiration and guidance.
- And – I can’t leave it out – my own determination to seek the answers – or to ask the questions – so that I may do the work of most interest to me: to be of assistance to others who, like me, are pursuing a life (business or career) that allows them to do work they love, and make a good living doing so.
As my friend Julia Marie says, “may all beings be happy.” I say, if I can do it you can too.
