Thank you Jennifer Kahnweiler for the invitation, I hope I did OK for my first 730 AM live interview ever!
Here are some quick notes:
👉Why did you write a book?
Life is never easy for an introvert, I learned so many things in a hard way.
My initial idea is just to write about the challenges I faced, and share the lessons I learned, so that fellow introverts, especially the young introverts, wouldn’t need to struggle as much as I did.
👉How do you think the Taiwanese/Asian culture supports introverted leaders and also is a challenge for them?
In general, eastern Asian cultures are more introverted, we value solitary, serenity, and deep thinking, which is probably better for the introverted leaders.
However, with globalization, Taiwan’s workplace is already very westernized. For example, in Business Schools, we learn western theories, case studies, and best practices. Students are trained to meet the western standards of a good employee/manager/entrepreneur.
I believe there are both opportunities and challenges for every type of leaders, no matter which culture they’re in.
👉Is remote working good for introverts, or it makes the introverts more isolated?
I’m working remotely, and I’m living in my dream. The best part of working from home is that you have flexibility, and also total control to your own schedule. I’m most productive when I’m working from home because I don’t need to handle all the distractions such as random phone calls or colleagues walking by.
However, I manage my schedule carefully and make sure I still go out to meetings and events, and have physical interactions with people, so that I can still feel connected.
👉What is the most important advice you would give to younger introverts who are want to step more into leadership roles?
1. Embracing who you are,
2. Be strategic, and
3. Expanding the comfort zone gradually.
👉How can we be more inclusive in engaging introverts in our organizations?
This can be done in so many ways, and most of the approaches are surprisingly simple. For example,
－sending out meeting agenda in advance, so the introverts can come prepared;
－setting a “no-meeting” period of time, such as 10AM-12 PM every day, or allowing work-from-home days, these will help the introverts to devote undistracted energy on their tasks.
👉Tell us about the English translation of your book. When is it coming out?
It’s coming out next year. We’re very excited about it, and hope it can add different perspectives for rookie introverts, and introverts in cross-cultural settings.
Join us now with your questions and comments as author Jill Chang, bestselling author in Taiwan describes her successful journey as an introverted leader
