The link between personality and success

Combining introverts (内向型人格) and extroverts (外向型人格)

The modern manager has to play the role of coach in charge of their team. And that requires an understanding of the different personality types they may be managing, and indeed the role their own personality may play in the way they manage.

Karl Moore, an associate professor at McGill University in Canada, has written two recent articles on the role of different personality types in business. One of the most common divides is between introverts and extroverts. Mr Moore estimates that around 40% of the population are introverts, 40% are extroverts and 20% are “ambiverts (既外向又内向的人；中间性格者)” who can display both characteristics.

It is easy to assume that the extroverts are most likely to go far in business. An academic study* found that extroverts were 25% more likely to be in a high-earning job than those who were less outgoing. The chain of causation (因果关系) is not clear. It is possible that working in a high-paid job makes people more confident and outgoing, although personality traits tend to develop early in life.

The study also found that the children of professionals were more likely to be extrovert. It could simply be that children who grow up in more prosperous (繁荣的；兴旺的) homes are less likely to face the kind of stressful events that undermine self-confidence. People with higher self-confidence may apply for more prestigious (享有声望的，受尊敬的) jobs and may be more likely to believe that their efforts will be rewarded; those with a negative self-image may feel it is not worth trying too hard.

So introverts should not give up hope of climbing the greasy (油腻的；含脂肪多的；谄媚的) pole. A study in 2017 found that introverts were slightly more likely than extroverts to surpass the expectations of boards and investors when appointed as chief executive.

Ambiverts can be good salespeople because they are able to listen to their clients and understand their needs but also have the energy to sell their firms’ goods and services. Mr Moore thinks that successful executives (高管) have to become ambiverts at times in order to succeed. Introverts must try to show enthusiasm, or make a stirring (鼓舞的) speech, when the situation calls for it. And extroverts need to shut up and listen to their teams—not least (尤其) because when the boss speaks first, subordinates (下级) will be reluctant (不情愿的；勉强的) to disagree.

Bartleby (who is an introvert but doesn’t like to talk about it much) thinks that the key is not to be too far out on the scale in either direction. An extreme introvert risks seeming too remote to manage a team, and may lack the ability to inspire. But an extreme extrovert can simply overwhelm the business, with other managers unable to constrain them. Perhaps becoming an entrepreneur, or founding a successful firm, requires a significant degree of self-confidence but nobody can get every decision right, and there comes a time (总会有这种时候) when a founder needs the expertise of other people.

* “A winning personality: The effects of background on personality and earnings”, by Robert de Vries and Jason Rentfrow

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