Constance McNeill

The title of Adam S. McHugh’s article in Christian Century (November 17, 2009), “Can introverts lead?” interested me for two reasons. I am a leader and I am an introvert. I want to share some of the article with you. He cites from several sources on leadership, all sources that have shaped and formed my own practice of leadership. In Richard Daft’s, The Leadership Experience, five attributes in successful leaders are identified. They are called the “Big Five personality dimensions.” They are: openness to experience, emotional stability, conscientiousness, agreeableness and extroversion.

If you are acquainted with Myers-Briggs, you know that each of us is both introverted and extroverted though we have a preference for one over the other. I would agree that introverts must use their non-preference extroversion in order to lead. Leading others is an external process. It requires communication and action—interaction with the external world. However, I also believe that leading should always begin as an internal process. The best leaders think before they speak and reflect before they act.

Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization, contends that successful leadership is inseparable from introspection. This skill is a skill set derived from the social focus of introversion, but it is not limited to introverts. Extroverted leaders who learn to exercise their introversion can develop the same skills. Several years ago, Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t was a very valuable read for me. He introduced me to Level 5 leaders. Level 5 leaders display compelling modesty, are self-effacing and understated. They display a workmanlike diligence—more plow horse than show horse according to Collins.

Maybe most importantly, Level 5 leaders set up their successors for even greater success in the next generation. That can be the next generation of leadership, not necessarily the next birth generation though that may be applicable. For me, this is probably the most important thing we can do as leaders–to lead in such a way, that those who follow will be even more effective leaders than we have been. That what I hope to do.

The primary point of Adam S. McHugh’s article, “Can introverts lead?” is to illustrate how the contemporary discussions about leadership have changed as to what is valued in leadership now as compared to the past. In the past, the charismatic leader, the dominating strength of a leader, the outgoing gregariousness of a leader or the superstar can-do-anything leader was regarded as the model to emulate. The personality of the leader was considered key to effective leadership.

Now, contemporary conversation about leadership focuses on something else. As McHugh writes, “The long-term sustainability of an organization or a church cannot depend on the personality of the central leader, no matter how captivating or compelling that person is.” He refers to Peter Drucker who contends that charisma is actually the undoing of leaders. He believes it makes leaders inflexible because they become convinced they are infallible and therefore have no reason to change.

Contemporary conversation about leadership elevates the character of a leader over the charisma of the leader. McHugh says that the leader’s character is more than personal integrity and ethical decision-making though they are components. The core of character is the leader’s authenticity. To be authentic, the leader understands her/his identity from within and are in harmony with whom God has created her/him to be. McHugh goes on to say that the greatest gift the leader can give to others is to model authenticity because it will give others freedom to be who God has created them to be. What a great gift!

We study leadership, we talk about it, we blog about it. We want to be good leaders. We try—maybe especially we introverts.

You can find the article at christiancentury.org.