Review: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"People work real hard at looking like extroverts, whether that’s comfortable or not."

As a person scoring around 70/30 on extrovert/introvert scale I was primarily interested in reading this book to better understand the inner world of many of my colleagues as well as former (and perhaps future) students who are more introverts than myself.

It's a very good guide into the topic. It challenges common practices such as open offices, organising work around teams sitting and doing things together, brainstorming sessions, pupil learning organised around groups and so on.

In particular, I found revealing connection between introversion and innovation (which isn't surprising really):

"Introverts prefer to work independently, and solitude can be a catalyst to innovation."

"In many fields, it’s only when you’re alone that you can engage in Deliberate Practice, which is identified as the key to exceptional achievement."

The famous study by DeMarco and Lister made on productivity of software engineers confirms that: the social interruptions are the biggest barriers to productivity.

And I liked another angle to what leadership really is - it's not only about standing on the stage and making motivating speeches to the ecstatic crowds of followers. Leadership...

...also occurs in more solitary situations such as developing new techniques in the arts, creating new philosophies, writing profound books and making scientific breakthroughs.

The criticism of a very common collaborative practice - brainstorming - has been very refreshing too. It makes people feel good since it makes them feel more attached. However, it does not allow for more creative ideas - it often rather means more conformism, more production blocking (only one person can talk or produce an idea at once) and more fear of looking stupid in front of others.

The notion of the highly sensitive people (which often are introverts) was also well explained and substantiated. As leaders we better appreciate and make more use of such type of people.

All the self-help advice for introverts ("how to thrive in the world dominated by extroverts") was not that interesting to me and there was a bit too much of it to my taste. A lot of that is also more relevant for the US readers as opposed to the Northern Europe where I live.

All in all, a high quality book explaining importance of certain psychological aspects in our workplaces, relationships and classrooms. Particularly recommended for leaders/managers and teachers.