In the movie Coach Carter, the Richmond Oilers basketball team are facing an extremely tough opponent in the state basketball champs.
And they’re losing.
Bad.
So Coach Carter calls for a time-out, and gives his players a chewing:
“All season long, we played OUR game. Right now, you’re playing theirs!
“When we step on the floor…we run the ball, we pressure the ball.. and most importantly, WE control the tempo of the game!!”
“WE make THEM play Richmond Oiler ball!”
The lesson?
You rarely win by playing other people’s games. You win by playing your own.
And this brings me to a topic close to my heart:
Succeeding in your career as an introvert.
For years, I was given the advice that if you wanted a successful career, you had to play the extrovert game. “Speak up!” “Make yourself heard!” “Network aggressively!”
But I think that’s bad advice.
Instead, I think you’d be much more successful (and more content) by learning to play - and master - your own “introvert game.”
(Because as author Susan Cain points out, there’s a reason why a huge number of CEOs are introverts.)
So…
How do you play the “introvert game”?
Here’s my 2 cents:
〰 Be the Signal, not the Noise.
In meetings, everyone loves talking. But thinking? Not so much.
And that’s where you come in: sit back, stay silent, and try to see the forest from the trees. Then, ask questions or make points that everyone else has missed.
I remember a famous cricket coach (maybe Kevin Pieterson’s?) who did this.
Unlike most coaches, he didn’t feel the need to constantly provide input. Instead, he kept his mouth shut, studied the player, and only opened his mouth when he’d identified exactly what that player needed to do to improve.
The result?
His words were taken much more seriously.
Also, while we’re on the topic of meetings…
✍️ Take meeting notes…
… then send them as minutes to everyone in an email afterwards.
Yes, it might seem like a mundane task reserved for junior-level employees. But it’s not about the task itself; it's about the influence it can garner.
When you're the one documenting discussions, you have a unique position of visibility.
So, after a meeting, compile what was discussed into an email, and send it around.
And here's my hack: include a section titled "Possible talking points we didn't get to." This is where you insert your own ideas, ones you might not have voiced or that weren't addressed in the meeting.
It’s a mega effective way to drop your own ideas to senior leadership, and make your ideas part of the conversation.
And that dove-tails with my next point:
✒️ Listen to Thomas Jefferson
In 1792, Thomas Paine - the revolutionary American writer who penned “Common Sense” and other pamphlets arguing against the British Crown - was having doubts about his career.
His friend, Thomas Jefferson, wrote to him with the following advice:
“Go on doing with your pen what in other times was done with the sword.”
Makes sense.
If you’re an introvert and you’ve got valuable writing skills, play to your writing strengths!
Easy ways of doing this?
Volunteer to write an internal wiki for your company, or even start a company blog. It’ll make everyone’s life easier going forward, and get your name plastered everywhere too.
⛳ If you’re not like Gatsby.. play golf
Sure, going to Gatsby-sized networking parties is great.. but that’s not the only way of doing it.
If you prefer more low-key environments, try meeting people for coffee, attending smaller events, or combining networking with hobbies you’re already doing.
(Heck, I know a guy whose networking “game” is golf. Why not?)
🌐 Online = Your Friend
For showcasing your work, you don’t need to brag about it in person.
Talk about what you’ve learned online instead, for example, on your website or LinkedIn. This’ll help you become an authority, and have opportunities chasing you – no face-to-face required.
Btw:
The first step to creating a presence online and building authority is by optimizing your LinkedIn profile — that’s often the first thing anyone you interact will see. And is usually how people outside work will find you.
Use this free tool to start with. (It’s Resume Worded’s tool — and is by far the best thing out there for optimizing LinkedIn profiles)
Also, become an authority on internal channels like Slack, too, by sharing useful articles, giving out pointers and writing guides.
👩🏻💻 Execute, execute, execute!
The easiest way to succeed in your career while being an introvert: letting your work do the talking.
=> Get out a pen and paper, and write down all the things you know you need to work on in your career. Then, work on them. Set aside a bit of time each day, and get 1% better.
Eventually, you’ll become “so good they can’t ignore you.”