Introverts may feel powerless in a world where extroverts seem to rule, but there’s more than one way to have some sway. Jennifer Kahnweiler proves introverts can be highly effective influencers when, instead of trying to act like extroverts, they use their natural strengths to make a difference. Kahnweiler identifies six unique strengths of introverts and includes a Quiet Influence Quotient (QIQ) quiz to measure how well you’re using these six strengths now. Then, through questions, tools, exercises, and powerful real-world examples, you will increase your mastery of these strengths.

ldquo;Jennifer Kahnweiler shows you how the masters of the art of quiet are able to get more done, be more creative, and sustain more energy than those who often live and work at a frantic, out-loud, always-on pace. The lessons in Quiet Influence will increase your capacity to have a profound effect on the actions and thoughts of others.”   
—Jim Kouzes, coauthor of The Leadership Challenge and Dean’s Executive Fellow of Leadership, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University

“Quiet Influence is a great resource for introverts who want to learn how to use their strengths to maximize their effectiveness in the workplace. But wait—it’s also a wonderful handbook for extroverts (like me) who want to understand more about what makes their less-gregarious friends and colleagues tick.”
*—Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and Great Leaders Grow

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  “Jennifer Kahnweiler shows millions of introverts how to harness the strengths they already have. It is the must-have guide to greater insight and impact that we’ve been waiting for.”
  —Dudley White, Senior Vice President, Professional Services, Equifax

  "This extraordinary book shows that you don't have to raise your volume to have a voice."
  — Susan Cain, author of the New York Times Bestseller Quiet
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  Autorentext
  Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, PhD, Certified Speaking Professional, is an international speaker and executive coach specializing in developing introverted leaders. Her clients include GE, NASA, and the CDC. She is the author of the bestseller The Introverted Leader. Follow her on Twitter at jennkahnweiler.

  Leseprobe
  Introduction

  Why Quiet Influence, Why Now?

  Do you work in a company? How about in a nonprofit that competes for funding?

  Do you work in a government agency with contractors?

  Are you an entrepreneur or freelancer who sells products or services?

  Are you in technology, engineering, or science?

  Do you work in sales, marketing, project management, teaching, medicine, the law, human resources, or administration?

  The truth is that everyone in a professional role needs to influence others. From Seoul to Seattle, today’s competitive workplace demands that you influence a variety of situations and people, not once in a while but multiple times a day. Although influence is sometimes about really big issues and opportunities, it is also about nudging change along one small step at a time.

  Noted researchers such as Jay Conger (“The Necessary Art of Persuasion”) have found that selling ideas and getting people on board is a process, not an event.1 Influence is not about forcing people to come to see things your way but about learning from others and negotiating a shared solution. This approach is well suited to the introvert temperament. It involves patience, planning, and perseverance. If we all think that the only way to get things done is to shout louder and louder and take up more center-stage space, we’ll miss the opportunities to listen, learn, and respond thoughtfully.

  It may be that our society is starting to get this message. Extroverts are slowly (very slowly, some argue) realizing that we stand to lose the wisdom and contributions of more than half of the population if we don’t listen to the introverts in our world. Since the 2009 publication of my last book, The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength (the first book about introverted leaders), a firestorm of other books (including Susan Cain’s 2012 New York Times bestseller Quiet), articles and social media have crusaded for the cause of introverts. I have been gratified to hear the buzz of such conversations everywhere.

  Moreover, even though they will never really experience how an introvert truly feels, extroverts are starting to get the differences on a personal level. They push their pens in my hand to sign a copies of The Introverted Leader for their sons, spouses, and siblings, who they never quite understood. Hope for a broader change springs from such a personal connection.

  Perhaps the strongest driver for Quiet Influence, however, is how it can contribute to success in today’s shifting workplace. These four trends indicate that the time for Quiet Influence is now:

  1. Flattened organizations and complex vendor, supplier, and customer interactions mean that you must, no matter what your position or personality type, be effective at getting your ideas heard. Gone are the days when you can rely on a boss or your boss’s boss to make your case for you. You have to establish critical relationships and communicate key messages yourself.

  2. Going global means that you need to find multiple ways to influence an increasingly diverse set of colleagues and customers. For example, your more reflective, low-key influencing approach will be much more effective with your colleagues in Asia than a traditional extroverted one. You can use your Quiet Influence skills to make a difference with those in cultures that value a quieter approach.

  3. The virtual world is evolving and ever present. In today’s society, it’s highly unlikely that you can influence a broad group of people without using digital media in purposeful ways. Introverts, as particularly thoughtful users of social media, may well be ahead of the game. They have been drawn to social media because it lets them use their strengths and better manage their communication. You and other Quiet Influencers who have already invested in learning and using social media are poised to effect tomorrow’s change more quickly than influencers who have ignored these technologies.

  4. Heightened competition for business and jobs means that companies are seeking suppliers and employees who bring fresh, innovative approaches. The truth is, extrovert-centric self-promotion and loud persuasion are passé. Today, you will stand out from the crowd if you have a knack for building up others and are committed to listening instead of talking.

  Because Quiet Influence is already what you do naturally, these trends offer you the impetus to enhance those skills. Your time has come. This book is written to help you and millions of other introverts recognize, develop, and highlight your innate influencing strengths. Together, you make up about 50 percent of the world’s population, and you can make a big difference in organizations and communities around the world. I encourage you to applaud the success of your strengths and practice making a difference without making a lot of noise.

  I believe that as these trends intensify, the tide will turn and extroverts will want to learn Quiet Influencing strengths from the introverts they know. Many extroverts recognize that they are more effective, flexible, adaptable influencers when their influencing toolbox includes a wider variety of approaches.

  I’ll admit it: I am one such extrovert. I needed to practice how to make a difference without making a lot of noise. For much of my professional life, I went along with the ill-founded belief that the Type A approach, with its emphasis on talkin…