Post by Stephanie Yeo

If you are an introvert, do you feel you have to fake it to make it at work? The workplace was not kind to introverts when I started my career. I struggled to find my footing for many years. In some ways, it still isn't. I feel that colleagues who lunch alone, who work best away from distractions, or who are reserved during boisterous meanings are labelled unconsciously. There's still an unspoken stigma about being introverted in workplaces that prize personality over performance. So, when I came across Chris Yam's new book on networking for introverts and saw that Jenny Toh coached introverted leaders (that was a thing?), my curiosity was piqued. I wanted to know what struggles others had faced. To be honest, I was overwhelmed by the number of DMs and e-mails from introverts willing to talk on record. And very, very grateful. As my article below shows, there is no stereotypical "introverted worker". Since introversion-extroversion is a spectrum, everyone is unique. Therein lies the beauty of the individual. The key is to finding that sweet spot of advocating for yourself at work without losing what makes you, you. Many thanks to everyone who helped, including Chris, Jenny, James Cheo, CFA, CAIA, FRM, Serena Low 刘善明, Shu Yi Goh, Dr Hadi Wijaya, Matthew L., Betsy Tan, Yue-Wen LIM, Shafik Walakaka, Jasmine Liew Psychological Safety Doctoral Candidate ,IHRP- SP, Benjamin Loh, CSP, Eugene Toh and Damian Chow, as well as those I chatted with but was unable to include. The stories I write aren't always deeply personal, but this one is. It's for the ones who feel lost in a world built for extroverts. You are not alone. And you are worthy. Read my story: https://lnkd.in/gx3Vr82Q Got a story idea? E-mail me: https://lnkd.in/gwkTMe3n