Introverts' secrets of success

Probably the world's most powerful introvert right now? Barack Obama, President of the United States was described in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/magazine/17obama-t.html" target="_blank" target="_blank">one New York Times article</a> as being able to "rouse a stadium of 80,000 people" but "smaller group settings can be harder for him."

Awesomely successful introverts —

Probably the world's most powerful introvert right now? Barack Obama, President of the United States was described in one New York Times article as being able to "rouse a stadium of 80,000 people" but "smaller group settings can be harder for him."

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Marissa Mayer —

Mayer is CEO of Yahoo, one of a handful of women who have reached the pinnacle of their industry. Known for her fierce intelligence, she admitted in a Vogue interview to being "geeky and shy." She forces herself to stay at parties for a fixed period of time even if she is having a bad time.

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Abraham Lincoln —

Widely considered America's greatest president, Abraham Lincoln's legacy includes ending slavery and preserving the Union. He may well have achieved this through his introvert traits. Susan Cain, author of "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" has said that he was "praised for not throwing his weight around, for (not) acting superior."

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J K Rowling —

Author of the bestselling Harry Potter series, author J.K. Rowling is a self-described introvert and has often talked about the benefits taking time out to be alone as the best way to be creative.

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Gandhi —

The leader of leader of the Indian nationalist movement and father of non-violent protest, Gandhi famously said: "In a gentle way, you can shake the world."

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Hillary Clinton —

Her thoughtful nature has helped Clinton to weather political and personal storms but it has not stopped her for being criticized for being "cold and emotionally flat" by people who perhaps don't get her personality type, according to one expert.

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He's the brains behind the social networking behemoth that is Facebook and a famously introverted tech geek, as his right-hand woman, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/business/03face.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&" target="_blank" target="_blank">Facebook CFO Sheryl Sandberg has said</a>: "He is shy and introverted and he often does not seem very warm to people who don't know him, but he is warm ... He really cares about the people who work here."

Mark Zuckerberg —

He's the brains behind the social networking behemoth that is Facebook and a famously introverted tech geek, as his right-hand woman, Facebook CFO Sheryl Sandberg has said: "He is shy and introverted and he often does not seem very warm to people who don't know him, but he is warm ... He really cares about the people who work here."

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Introverts’ secrets of success