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Introversion in the workplace- are introverts discriminated against?

PhilliesDeacs said:
I had my annual review a few days ago. I've been here almost four years and my direct supervisor is leaving at the end of August - so naturally much of his review was in the context of me potentially taking over his position. One of the things he said I need to "improve" was my "visibility around the office" and my "participation/body language in meetings." Apparently I don't walk around and talk to people enough (at least not enough to be immediately promoted to VP) and I tend to look annoyed during meetings (guilty).

I consider myself an extrovert, but I'm purposely not at the office because a) most of the people I work with are morons, and b) I'd rather just get my shit done and leave when I want. So I had to withhold my aggressive laughter until after my review ended.

Oh, and the best part? He also said I should chime in and say something during every meeting just so people know I'm paying attention. Speaking just to hear your own voice! Corporate America! Ugh. I need to pull a Peter Gibbons.
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If one of your main thoughts is that you are annoyed in meetings and want to get your work ASAP and leave the office it really doesn't sound like you need to be a VP....
 
That Washington Post article makes me think of Joe Abernathy (Wake grad, works for Google now, one of the best leaders I've ever known). I was in a small group setting w/ Joe discussing Myers-Briggs results and someone blurted out, "Joe's clearly an E(xtrovert)!" to which he responded, "Actually I am barely an E, and last time I took the test I was an I(ntrovert)." Everyone thought he was lying but he showed all of us the results. Classic ambivert.
 
Phillies it sounds like your boss likes you and is offering helpful feedback. I work with morons too - a handful of my colleagues do not have college degrees and the best school represented is App State - and for the longest time I isolated myself from them to get more work done and to avoid their idiocy. Now I try to increase visibility by attending lunches, smiling, laughing, and adding a one-liner or two.

Bob Fly (marketing prof) gave our class the 'say something every meeting' speech. One student retorted, "What if you say something stupid?" to which he responded, "Doesn't matter. And it's probably something that everyone is thinking." He also went on to say that when Sara Lee made cuts one of the questions an upper level exec asked him was, "Who doesn't participate in meetings?"
 
tau06 said:
If one of your main thoughts is that you are annoyed in meetings and want to get your work ASAP and leave the office it really doesn't sound like you need to be a VP....
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Probably true, at least not for this company. It just strikes me as odd that these are the kinds of silly games that you need to play.
 
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