Tapping into the Introverts’ Potential in Project Management

In today’s world, project and program management goes much beyond the triple constraints of schedule/cost/scope.

The emotional management of the team, customers and other stakeholders is one of the biggest challenges faced by project and program managers.

Being inclusive and getting the best out of the generally quiet introverts in the team and stakeholders is a major aspect of this challenge.

Introverts are individuals who gain their energy when they spend time in solitude. Their natural tendency is to be quiet and conserve their energy. There is a general and common misconception that introverts are shy, unsociable, and lacking in confidence. The introverts’ quiet nature fosters these misconceptions even more.

Introverts have amazing strengths which program and project directors and managers can tap into.

Introverts are deep thinkers and are creative. Their unique style of thinking enables them to look at the various challenges in a project from different angles to come up with innovative solutions. But it is not easy for them to volunteer to contribute to the discussions. PMs should be aware of this natural tendency and invite them to participate.
Introverts do well in planning and preparation. They can go into the various dependencies of a project and consider them in the execution. PMs can tap into this strength of theirs.
Introverts are generally seen with few people in their friend circle; but they usually have great relationships with whoever is in their circle. So, building relationships is another of their strengths. This comes in very handy when they are put into customer relationship management roles.
Introverts are great listeners. If given management roles, they are adept at listening to customer problems. They can then incorporate the feedback into the solutions being devised.
Introverts are observant in nature. They can spot errors/omissions/flaws easily, but their introverted nature holds them back from voicing them. PMs should make an effort to involve them in design reviews or quality reviews and they will provide invaluable contribution when analysing drawbacks or point out the missing factor.

Over 30% of the world population are introverts and typically, a project team composition could also be similar. Project leaders should understand and recognise their teams’ strengths and potential to utilize them to the maximum.