𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲

What if the most powerful thing an introverted leader can do in a high-pressure room isn't to push harder, but to show up more honestly as themselves?

Below are excerpts from a recent panel, Silent Strength: The Introvert’s Guide to Thriving as a Leader.

Soraya Depowski, Founder & CEO of Sharely, spoke about the pressure to perform while pursuing her vision.

“I've found a way to bring my authentic self into fundraising and sales. I'm very mission-driven, and leading with that in my conversations, while still pitching the value proposition and financial upside to VCs, has helped me present my vision in my own calm, excited way.”

Jerry Colonna, CEO and Co-Founder of Reboot.io, described a 2013 talk he gave at a festival in Vienna, at the Imperial Palace of the Habsburg Empire.

“There were 1,500 people in the room. I'm not shy. I’m comfortable in those environments, but I can get overwhelmed, especially when I think about that moment when the speech is over and the wave of people comes.

So I did something I'd never done before, but have done a lot since. I ended the talk and said, ‘Just so you know, I'm an introvert, and if you want to come up and speak, my eyes are probably going to drift off to the side and I'm going to be dropping inward, and it has nothing to do with you.’”

Pamela Slim, author of Body of Work and The Widest Net, spoke about her next book (Remember Who You Are) and its focus on knowing ourselves as we’re truly wired.

“Authenticity is one of those words that gets used a lot, but if we really think about the essence, first we do want to know ourselves. I take a lot of time to notice how people are in different environments, especially people with less power. We want to be conscientious of how we're navigating in different ways.”

Silent Strength is my second book. I created the first one largely on my own, fitting for my introverted nature. For the second, I actively sought input from many people, and it made the book four times better

This conversation adds a new layer to how we think about introversion, authenticity, and leadership. I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did.

Leading as an Introvert: Authenticity, Boundaries, and Real Change

• You can watch a five-minute highlight reel HERE.

• You can watch the full recording HERE.

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Silent Strength: The Introvert’s Guide to Thriving as a Leader was hosted and supported by Christopher Lind. At the first mention of the event, he jumped in to share his expertise helping business leaders tackle their toughest challenges at the intersection of people, performance, and technology.

What if the quietest person in the room is the one who changes the world?

Build Scale Grow solves problems for fast-growing startups, specializing in Social Impact, EdTech, and Health Tech, and focusing on Introverted Founders.

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