This post comes from 

Nicole Cochran at Vanderbloemen

I am a loud and proud introvert (okay, not really loud per se). Recently I read the book 

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

 by Susan Cain, and if I were actually loud, I would shout about this book from the rooftops.

In my opinion, everyone should read this book, introverts, and extroverts alike. It goes through many studies and theories examining and discussing introversion at its core, laying out ideas on how to tell from an early age whether a child is an introvert or extrovert, as well as the way culture can shape this trait.

So how does this book apply to you and your church staff, you might ask? There are several key ideas and takeaways that can be applied to social situations in general, specifically in reshaping our ideas of who to hire, who to promote, and how to 

lead a team of introverts

. Here are 4 takeaways from Quiet and how you can apply them to your team:

1. Introverts can be great communicators

Cain argues that sometime in the 19th century our society flipped from placing the greatest emphasis on morals, to valuing the “Extrovert Ideal” above all else. This has contributed to a 

bias against introverts

 at times and their ability to “perform.” While it is true that extroverts likely feel more comfortable speaking from the stage on Sundays than introverts, to assume that an introvert can’t do the job would be wrong. Susan Cain distinguishes the difference between introversion and shyness, two words that sometimes seem synonymous

“Shyness is the fear of negative judgment, and introversion is a preference for quiet, minimally stimulating environments,” Cain said in 

a recent post

. 

So if you are looking for a new pastor to teach on Sundays, look past initial judgments of introversion/extroversion and dig in a little deeper.



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