I was recently interviewed in the Singapore Straits Times (the flagship newspaper in Singapore) article: “The Introvert’s Guide To Succeeding In The Workplace Without Faking It”.

Early in my career as a civil servant and lawyer, I experienced firsthand the disparity in treatment between extroverts and introverts.

This was long before Susan Cain’s book Quiet brought introversion into mainstream awareness.

I saw for myself that:

When you’re the first to answer, a confident speaker, able to think on your feet – you get noticed.

When you’re a quiet achiever who elects to let your work do the talking instead of you – you get overlooked.

It happened to me. It happened to people on my team.

It was disheartening to observe that despite Asian values valuing modesty and humility, the workplace required one to act the opposite.

The worst thing was the lack of correlation between quality and volume.

It was often the quiet minds and quiet voices who knew the right answer, who had done the research, who had the data and stories to back their recommendations. It’s the introvert way: one rooted in reflection, thoughtfulness, sensitivity, attention to detail, and the pursuit of excellence and perfection.

All the introvert needs is safety, time, and space.

None of these are high priority in a fast-paced workplace that confuses speed with substance and loudness with legitimacy.

As one who loves deep conversations and finds small talk painful, I had to learn new ways to communicate so I could get in front of the right people and in the right rooms and conversations, without having to fake extroversion. It has taken me decades, and I’m now bringing everything I’ve learned into all I do with The Quiet Warrior Podcast, my coaching practice, and the Meetup communities I host.

I’m grateful to Susan Cain and all the other thought leaders in the introvert space who consistently and persistently advocate for quiet spaces, psychological safety, greater awareness of different personality types and communication preferences, and acceptance that introvert and extrovert brains are wired differently.

Here’s to a world where introverts are esteemed for their wisdom, intellect, depth, and sensitivity.