5 Keys for Tapping the Superpowers of Quiet Men

NOTE: This article was co-written by author and introvert expert Jennifer Kahnweiler.

Now is the time for quiet men.

Domineering, extroverted men have reigned in business for years. But they aren’t well-suited to the world taking shape today.

It’s a faster, flatter, fairness-focused world.

One that calls for calmness, curiosity, deep connection, self-awareness and excellent listening. These aren’t the superpowers of extroverted men.

They are the natural strengths of Quiet Men. Introverted men tend to have a calm demeanor, a willingness to ask questions and think through problems carefully, as well as the ability to build trusting relationships. They also tend to listen more than they speak and to engage in self-reflection.

You might be thinking: Why talk about men at all? Shouldn’t we focus on elevating women and other marginalized groups?

Fair question. But we have been studying the intersection of introversion and masculinity. And we’ve found that quiet men haven’t tended to be the men running the show or excluding others.

In fact, they’ve often experienced marginalization themselves. Shamed for not showing up as large-and-charge alpha males. We’ve also found that quiet men often act as allies to other less-powerful groups.

Organizations would do well to tap the superpowers of quiet men today.

But how?

Here are 5 keys we found for bringing out the best in the introverted men at your organization. They are based on the ideas outlined in Jennifer’s book, Creating introvert Friendly Workplaces: How to Unleash Everyone’s Talent and Performance.

1. Look for bias

See if your people practices inadvertently make it harder for introverted men to thrive. For example, do your interviewing processes favor the gregarious and spontaneous over the reserved and thoughtful? Do you provide agendas before meetings for introverts to prepare? Might you inadvertently reward male “loudership” in group settings over quieter male contributions?

2. Start conversations

Host discussions about the intersection of introversion and gender as part of DEI efforts. Hold lunch-and-learns about the way corporate cultures have often been extrovert-friendly and hyper-masculine. How they’ve typically focused on action over contemplation, competition over collaboration, and rational calculations over considerations of emotional and intuitive intelligence. A little awareness goes a long ways towards supporting quiet men.

3. Spotlight quiet leaders

Ask quiet men who are leaders to take visible roles like sponsors and mentors. Highlight them so the organization is seen as valuing quiet men. You might profile a quiet male leader on the company Intranet, recognizing their unique contributions. Amplifying the voices and spotlighting the accomplishments of introverted men gives permission to many others to take pride in who they are. Shame can transform into strength–that serves everyone.

4. Sponsor ERGs for quiet men & women

We know how important it is for marginalized groups to have a safe space to support each other. The same is true for introverts. Leading organizations are forming employee resource groups for quiet men and women similar to the groups dedicated to populations such as African American, Queer and women employees. You might form separate ERGs for introverted men and women–because there are significant differences in how males and females experience introversion.

5. Create “quiet-friendly” practices

Another key is creating practices that honor introverts’ need for solitude and quiet environments. One “quiet-friendly” technique is designating certain rooms in the office as low- or no-volume spaces. In the context of mostly-remote work cultures, another important practice is carving out time for uninterrupted work. For example, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has instituted “Focus Weeks” — when meetings are limited in order to give people time to concentrate on key projects.

When you take steps like this, you not only help quiet men. You help everyone. That’s partly because extroverts benefit as well from focused time and greater awareness about bias.

And it’s because quiet men tend to elevate those around them when they thrive. They lift up peers, teams and entire organizations.

Especially now. More than ever, this is the time for quiet men.

So take these five key steps and tap their superpowers.