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Introversion in the workplace- are introverts discriminated against?

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HoosierDeac

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OK, so was just talking to the bossman about my 2012 work performance- basically, on the main program I manage (I am a product marketing manager), I beat my 2012 profit plan by 81%, not 8.1% mind you, 81%. Yet the main focus of the discussion was about how I'm not 'well known' enough across the organization, that I need to be 'out there' interacting with folks from other departments, etc and 'seen as a thought leader', yadda yadda. All I can come back with in my head is, 'but but but I just beat my profit plan by eighty-freakin'-one percent'.
This has been a common theme in my career. I am an admitted introvert, and being 'out there' does not come naturally to me to say the least. Frankly, I think the numbers should speak for themselves, you give me a plan, I'll beat it, but over and over across multiple companies I've been dinged time and again for not being 'engaged' enough. It wears on me. I think I'm doing a good job, delivering profit, and apparently since I'm not the life of the party that eveyone knows, I'm not valued as an employee. It's made me often reflect on whether I'm just not suited for a corporate environment (or at least an American corporate environment) that favors extrovert behaviors and seems to discriminate/bias significantly against introversion. This has reared its head over and over and frankly I'm at wits end. Anyone else face this same sort of predicament?
 
being out there interacting with folks from other departments does mean you have to be the life of the party, IMO
 
DeacHawk said:
being out there interacting with folks from other departments does mean you have to be the life of the party, IMO
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I know, I was hyperbolizing, but at the end of the day, isn't it about making money for the company? Isn't that the metric you should be judged on, not how many people you know and how many worthless project teams you've been asked to join because you're known and considered an 'expert'?
 
Most managers more or less have to find something to nitpick on in reviews. If that's what you are perceived to be lacking, that's what they're going to harp on.
 
HoosierDeac said:
I know, I was hyperbolizing, but at the end of the day, isn't it about making money for the company? Isn't that the metric you should be judged on, not how many people you know and how many worthless project teams you've been asked to join because you're known and considered an 'expert'?
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you sound like somebody pretty new to the workforce. how old are you?
 
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If you're managing people, having a little bit of extroversion can make your coworkers more comfortable around you, which can lead to increased productivity by THEM. Maybe that is what your boss is trying to say. He knows YOU'RE being productive, maybe he thinks you need to be more social with your coworkers so that they are more motivated and productive?
 
HoosierDeac said:
I know, I was hyperbolizing, but at the end of the day, isn't it about making money for the company? Isn't that the metric you should be judged on, not how many people you know and how many worthless project teams you've been asked to join because you're known and considered an 'expert'?
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Apparently it does matter in your field, especially if you've encountered the same feedback across multiple companies. I'd say stop worrying about how "unfair" it is and find a way to make it a non-issue.
 
I've run in to similar issues. There is bias in the workforce against introverts. It exists. But we live in an extroverted world. The classic example is the extroverted boss telling the valuable introverted employee that he/she needs to be something they're not.

There is a good Ted talk on this I suggest you check out:

 
People talk too much at work in general. Shut up people!
 
My father-in-law always tells me in the corporate world it's 25% work performance and 75% "intangibles" (mainly, getting along with your coworkers). Your coworkers are your family away from your family. Find any possible way to interact with your coworkers; sports is my fall-back. People love talking about their kids too, and a simple "How's Bobby?" isn't so hard. My NY Resolution is to say hi to my coworkers every day and that has been working well for me so far.
 
I think there's a fine line between being introverted/shy, and being perceived as unfriendly or "not a team player." A supervisor who doesn't know you very well might perceive you as someone who doesn't really care about your coworkers or your employer, when really you're just not a big talker. In some fields and in some workplaces, it may not matter (I think we expect our IT folks to be quiet), but in others, it definitely can make a difference. If it matters at your workplace, you may just make a special effort to wish people a good morning, or happy birthday, or try to go out to lunch on occasion with other folks.
 
My last job had a lot of team building events and happy hours, etc. I hated that shit. I didn't care for my co-workers so in addition to the 50+ hours a week I spend with them actually working I have to go out with them for dinners, drinks, etc? My attitude is let me just do my job and get along with my coworkers. We don't all have to be friends. We can be coworkers without having to socialize together. It does seem to me like bigger companies put more emphasis on that than smaller companies.
 
As Mark J. Cundiff relayed in a recent blog post:

"Be comfortable being Uncomfortable: When we grow we are trying new things we have never done before and this will make us uncomfortable. You have to learn to embrace being uncomfortable in order to grow."
 
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