Skills For Success

A client asked me the other day whether an introvert can be successful in business. Yes, I replied, but it may take a little work on your part.

Since statistics tell us that about 60-75% of the population are extraverts it would be logical to assume that the extraverts likely don’t really understand the introvert, or even think about what it is like to be an introvert!

The introvert’s natural inclination is to wait for others to approach them, but in some cases, if you’re an introvert seeking to make business contacts, for example, you may need to make the first move.

Communicating with an extravert can start with a welcoming smile on the introvert’s part, thus inviting the extraverts into your world. A phone call the next day to your extraverted contact, rather than the “safe” email will also be more inviting.

An introverted colleague let me in on a secret years ago. He said that as long as he has done his homework and knows what he is talking about he could easily manage to “get his point across” in business meetings with extraverts.

I would add my own “secret” and that is if you are passionate about what it is you do for a living, no matter whether you are an introvert or an extravert, others will be keen to listen.

It never fails to surprise me in working with groups of people how their personalities affect the way people communicate with one another in such a way that it causes a lot of stress.
I overheard one adult woman telling the others in her group that her husband is always telling her to wear a hat outside. As she was telling them her voice rose and she was more than slightly annoyed at being "treated like a child", she said.
The problem? Her personality type wants to have the freedom to choose when and where she willl do whatever, including wearing a hat; her husband's personality type is somewhat protective so he thought he was simply looking out for her. But the way he communicated it to her sounded like a command to his wife.
It is sometimes little things like this that can cause a lot of stress and strain both at home and at work.

Everyone talks about balance in their lives between work and home. I always say that you have to choose the most important things and drop some of the other stuff. So for me this past few months the "stuff" I dropped was the blog. It seemed that with work, vacation, children, and yes, grandchildren, my life was on overload.
Now I am reflecting on what a great life I have as a Workshop Facilitator, wife, mother and grandmother, and it is time to share some of it with others. I've been thinking about having a blogsite with a spashy name like my daughter has, namely Misadventures of Mommy.
If anyone has any ideas for a fancy name for my blog, I'd love to hear it!
Meanwhile remember to figure out what is really vital and do those things first. Don't let the other "stuff" get in the way of what you consider important.

This is the title of the Michigan Council for Exceptional Children Conference where we had opportunity to present two “Colourful” Workshops to last week. We could not believe the enthusiasm and response from both teachers and parents who attended the two workshops on a Friday afternoon.

It was worth the five-hour drive from Canada to interact with some very special Americans who care for exceptional kids every day.

We were overwhelmed with responses such as “Very useful.” “It really got me thinking.” “Very helpful to see the categories.”

For example one teacher described a student who can barely verbalize his needs but always wants to plan ahead when he can be taken to the bathroom. We helped her understand that this exceptional child falls into the category of a “Gold” who feels good when he has structure and routine.

One of the parents indicated that she now has information that will help her make life harmonious for her entire family.

Thanks to a wonderful group of people who helped us get the word out internationally about our Stress and Wellness Programs, the Michigan Council for Exceptional Children