Post by Ilya Postnov

Less neuroticism, more extraversion At the beginning of a new year, like many people, I found myself thinking about personal effectiveness and goals. This time, a book helped me structure those thoughts: “Personal Strategy: How to Plan Development in Work and Life Based on Your Values” by Alexey Kapterev and Alexey Goryachev. I want to share one idea that I intuitively felt for a long time. The authors refer to research by psychologists and sociologists who compared the life and achievements of hundreds of people with their results on the Hogan assessments. One of the key conclusions: more successful people tend to be more extraverted and less neurotic. Extraversion is not about being loud or constantly social. It’s about energy directed outward: initiating conversations, expressing opinions, being visible, taking social risks, influencing others. Neuroticism is about emotional instability: anxiety, self-doubt, overthinking, fear of mistakes, and excessive sensitivity to external evaluation. Good news Even if you “lost the genetic lottery” and identify as an introverted neurotic (🙋‍♂️), this is not a life sentence. These traits can be managed and compensated. What I personally try to do: Consciously increase my external presence: speak up earlier, write publicly, share unfinished thoughts. Reduce rumination by shortening feedback loops. Treat anxiety as a signal, not a stop sign. I’m far from perfect at this, but awareness alone already changes behavior. What helps you become a bit less neurotic and a bit more outward-focused?