The vast majority of employees in a business will have different aspects of introversion and extroversion, which is often to the benefit of the company. But every organisation will also have individuals who are highly extroverted – the life and soul of every party and the loudest person in the room at any given time. But extroverts are more than just loud people who like to engage with others, they also work very differently to other members of the team.
If you have team members who clash, it may be down the lines of introversion and extroversion. Introverts typically see extroverts as aggressive, egotistical and needy, while extroverts see introverts as arrogant, aloof and unfriendly. Clearly, then, if you have extroverts in your team you need to understand how to manage them to get as much out of them as possible. Here are five tips given by Planday to get more out of your extrovert employees.
Ensure that their time is properly planned
Extroverts are typically energetic workers who are fantastic in environments where they are asked to interact with others. Additionally they tend to feed off the energy of others and become more engrossed in their work as they interact. It can become increasingly important to control this energy and channel it in the right direction. This means you need to take control of your employees’ schedules and ensure they use their time efficiently as well as effectively.
Do your research and choose the best employee scheduling software for your business type. Good quality software will allow you to easily keep track of what your employees are doing so that your extrovert staff do not get sucked into specific tasks for too long.
Ensure that their role interacts with others
Extroverts excel when they are allowed to feed off others and interact – they are usually in their element when mingling, dealing with clients face-to-face and attending conferences. The simple fact is that you will get more out of them if they are interacting with others. Remember that you won’t necessarily hire an extrovert in a role they are best suited for, as they develop confidence within a business you might find that their talents are better suited elsewhere. For example if you have a junior in the marketing department who is a real extrovert, don’t let them spend years sitting behind a computer; allow them to flourish into an interaction focused role.
Place them in group working situations
It’s also worth pointing out that if you want to get the most out of your extroverts it can be best to allow them to work in teams. Extroverts tend to get restless if they are asked to do too much more on their own or in private, and prefer situations where they can work in groups. Group discussions and team brainstorming sessions are great ways to bring more out from extrovert staff.
Just be aware that extrovert team members may have a natural habit to dominate discussions so you may need a moderator who is able to get everyone involved. With a proper moderator, extrovert team members are allowed to share their thoughts constructively without the kind of domineering behaviour that can put off introverted staff.
Let them do their thinking out loud
While introverts typically take a long time to think about what they are going to say before they speak aloud, extroverts tend to take the opposite approach. They speak in order to develop their thoughts, often only getting to their best ideas once they have had the chance to discuss things with others and evaluate their thoughts using speech. It’s a good idea to find ways for them to do this, through feedback discussions and team meetings.
Praise them
Extroverts tend to work best when their efforts are being appreciated; they like it when they are praised in public and are given accolades. Of course the same could be said of almost every employee, but it appears to be more relevant to extroverts than anyone else. Research published in the Frontiers in Human Neuroscience journal revealed that extroverts value external motivational and reward cues more than introverts.
It is vital to understand the different personality types of your staff so that you can personalise your working strategies so that everyone feels the benefit. No matter whether you have a team full of loud, extroverted characters or just the one extrovert in a team of silent types, taking the time to understand them will allow you to get far more out of them.
More on managing staff and motivate your employees.
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