Roberta Matuson recently made a big claim for the power of ‘being quiet’ as a way of increasing productivity.
Introverts will be pleased to see this, because it’s how they prefer to work. But with extroversion (particularly dominance and sociability) empirically linked to both leadership emergence and leadership effectiveness, and with visibility and presence (perhaps inappropriately) associated with ambition and promotability, we might ask whether the idea will catch on.
Matuson claims being quiet:
- strengthens focus
- calms others
- conveys confidence
- means you think before you speak
- gives you the space to dig deep
What Matuson is drawing attention to is the power of mindfulness in focusing attention, decreasing distractibility, decreasing stress and increasing performance.
Decide for yourself – see her article in Fast Company here The Link Between Quietness and Productivity.
