How to tap into the power of introverts

Explore how to celebrate and leverage the strengths of introverts at work.

Published Jun 7, 2026

Before You Start

Goal: Explore what introverted leadership looks like — and discuss how your team, company, and Circle can better celebrate and leverage the unique strengths that quiet leaders bring.

Watch: "The Power of Introverts" — Susan Cain on why our culture over-values extroversion, and the strengths quiet, thoughtful people bring to leadership and creativity. Members are encouraged to watch beforehand, but a quick recap at the meeting works too.

Meeting Agenda · Approx. 60 mins

Member Updates · 10 mins
Icebreaker · 10 mins
Key Takeaways · 5 mins
Discussion Questions · 20 mins
One Action · 10 mins
Wrap-Up · 5 mins

👋 Member Updates · 10 mins

Go around your Circle and share personal updates. Keep them brief and focused on significant changes or important decisions since the last time you met. It's OK not to have one every month. If you have a One Action update from last time, share that too.

🧊 Icebreaker · 10 mins

Invite everyone in the group to share. Keep answers to one or two minutes per person.

When you're tackling a new challenge, what helps you think most effectively — and how does that differ from the approaches others on your team take?

💡 Key Takeaways · 5 mins

Celebrating and making room for quiet, thoughtful leadership unlocks strengths that constant noise can hide — a real advantage for teams and Circles willing to listen for them.

Introversion isn't shyness. It's about how you respond to stimulation. Introverts tend to feel most alive and capable in quieter, lower-key environments.
Solitude can be a catalyst. Transformative leadership and creativity often come from quiet reflection.
Group settings can drown out quiet voices. People may sometimes follow the loudest person in the room, losing the contributions of thoughtful introverts.
Know "what's in your suitcase." Susan Cain urges everyone to recognize and share their own strengths, and to give introverts the freedom to work in the ways that bring out their best.
The world needs both temperaments. Balance, not conformity, is the goal: it's important to make space for quiet leadership alongside extroverted energy.

💬 Discussion Questions · 20 mins

Start with a quick self-assessment, then move through the questions at the pace that suits your Circle.

Put an X on the lines below to indicate where you rank yourself on the following spectrums:

| Extroverted qualities | ↔ | Introverted qualities |

Extroverts often identify with the qualities on the left, while introverts tend to identify with the qualities on the right. Based on your answers above, do you think you’re an introvert or an extrovert? How does that show up in your professional life?
Susan talks about knowing and embracing "what's in your suitcase." What special skills and interests are in your suitcase? When are you at your best?
If you could change one thing about your work culture to better support your personal leadership style, what would it be?
What can you do to best collaborate with people on both ends of the spectrum? Brainstorm ideas and share them as a group.
How can you support others in both leaning into their leadership styles and getting out of their comfort zones from time to time?
What's one key takeaway from the video you'd like to share with someone else? With whom would you share it?

🎯 One Action · 10 mins

Commit to one concrete action — big or small — you'll take before next meeting. Go around the Circle and share (1 minute or less per member). Vocalizing it helps hold each other accountable.

What's one way you'll make space for quiet, thoughtful leadership — your own or someone else's — before the next meeting?

📅 Wrap-Up · 5 mins

Before you break, plan your next meeting, and close on an energetic note. Go around your Circle one by one and finish the sentence:

Now I am feeling… (choose one word).

Set the day, time, and location
Choose the next topic or resource
Confirm who's leading the discussion
Decide how you'll stay in touch in between