The Myers-Briggs test doesn't lie.
Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup, is sure he's a born introvert, especially after taking the personality test half a dozen times. Running an organization of nearly 20,000 employees wasn't easy for someone who would rather stay behind the scenes. Conant says it takes honesty, discipline, and necessary alone time for him to lead. Now, when he's not busy fending off takeover bids on Avon's board of directors, Conant has perhaps the least-introverted job out there: He often stands in front of a roomful of people and tells them how they, too, can be leaders. His advice:
Don't change who you are. All of us introverts aspire to be more outgoing, but it's not in our nature. When I was nearly 50, I discovered the best thing I could do was to tell everyone I worked with that I'm just shy. People are not mind readers--you need to let them know.
Say what's on your mind. At one point in my career, the CEO of Nabisco wanted me to be president of the sales organization. "You have got to be kidding me," I said: "(a) I'm an introvert, and (b) I can't play golf." Still, I was put in that position. Emotionally, it was by far the most challenging job I've ever had, but I had to get it done. I've met so many leaders who realize that telling your colleagues something that is on your mind is so much easier than keeping it in.
Find alone time. For the better part of my career at Campbell Soup, I had a driver for my two-hour commute each way to work. Introverts get more energy by having quiet time, compared with extroverts, who find energy by being around people.
Source: FORTUNE, May 21, 2012