Authentic Leadership as an Introvert: How to Influence Your Team in a World Built for Extroverts

I’m almost certain I’m the most introverted Scrum Master, and I call it my superpower.

Why is that? Because I’m easily able to see the other introverts in the room and allow them to have their peace during team meetings. We’re often told to set the stage and energy for the call. Be enthusiastic! Get everyone talking and chit-chatting! Go on camera! For anyone like me, this can be a daunting and draining task for each call that we attend. As a deeply introverted Scrum Master, I know this isn’t sustainable for me because I’m departing from my true self and eventually, I’ll burn out. How can I be fit for this role if I hate the very things they’re telling me to do?

Long before I became a Scrum Master, I set a goal to be authentic to myself in each call. It’s more important to me as a leader to be intentional and genuine with my teams. I’m from a family of tradesmen and nurses, so I don’t relate to the stereotypical managerial approach. When I join calls, I’m not cultivating a false sense of enthusiasm or chit-chat because, ultimately, I want everyone to relax and let go of the performative corporate talk. Let’s all just take a deep breath and be ourselves. Instead, I ask about things I’m genuinely curious about – like how the weekend went and how the family is doing. You’re going out of town? Awesome! How can we best support you so you can take the time off and not worry about things here? Are you stressed about your current work/life balance? Let’s focus on fixing that instead of pretending like we have it all together. 

I’ve noticed that my calls are more relaxed and open for the conversations that matter because of my style. The introverts can chime in if they need/want to, but there’s no pressure to come up with chit-chat on the fly. Whenever a fellow introvert speaks up in my calls, my alarms go off to stop and take note of what’s being said because it’s likely the most important thing you’re going to hear during that call. We’re not doing cheesy icebreakers, but we are all down to support each other during difficult times or unexpected PTO. And for those of you concerned about the potential for awkward silences, the extroverts will always come in and have something to say. No worries there.

Throughout my career, I seem to only find articles about how introverts should build up to meet the needs of extroverts, but never the other way around. Extroverts – how can you support your other team members?

Help your introverts recharge by: 

• Ending your meetings a little early or on time. We need time to recharge before the next one. 

• Reach out via chat to ask a question vs randomly calling with a question. If you do need a call, ask first so we have time to mentally prepare. Bonus points if you include the details of the question/discussion topic upfront. 

• Solicit feedback in multiple ways. We won’t always be the first to speak up in a group call, but we have a wealth of information in our minds that can be shared in a less direct space. 

•  If you’re dead-set on doing icebreakers, send out a list of what you’re going to ask in advance, so we have time to prepare. Bonus points if you do icebreakers that don’t require everyone to talk in the call.

While I claim my introversion as my superpower, I still struggle with imposter syndrome from time to time because of it. What if I’m too quiet? What if the team doesn’t trust me as much because I don’t have a commanding voice or enthusiastic tone? I see other Scrum Masters or Project Managers leading more like the textbook indicates, and my mind begins to focus on my “inadequacies”. 

I think the battle with imposter syndrome is universal. We see others posting their successes or opinions in our field and it seems like everyone else is the expert while we’re just “regular” human beings. Surely everyone will notice I’m not as much of a Scrum Master as the one on the other team!

Amanda Toyoda, MPH, PMP

Amanda, a former clinical research professional, is an IT Project Manager and Scrum Master for several teams that focus on software development. As a Scrum Master, she leads agile transformations for organizations and incorporates her authentic leadership style to motivate her teams using the Scrum Framework.