Speaker 1: I've had the pleasure of people commenting on my LinkedIn posts that introverts should not be product managers. Some even said that introverts cannot engage with others. Look, I believe the opposite. You can succeed and thrive in this world of product management as an introvert or an extrovert, but you need to leverage your unique strength. Now as an introvert, you need to make a bigger impact without needing to talk endlessly. But how do you do that? Well keep watching because I will cover exactly what you should do and watch especially for point number five because it's something that most people misunderstand about introverts all the time. Now before we go on, let me introduce myself. I'm a former Google product manager and I run the world's most successful career coaching companies for product managers. I've seen a thousand plus product managers succeed and thrive and many of them were introverted. And whenever I've posted on LinkedIn on this topic, people have deeply resonated with it. So let me talk through exactly what being an awesome product manager as an introvert looks like. Now, let's quickly define some terms. Introversion versus being shy. To summarize, we can think of these concepts as follows. Shy people have a fear of negative evaluation and a tendency towards avoidance. Outgoing people, on the other hand, have a tendency to approach others with no fear of being around other people. Introverts become easily oversimulated and need time to regain energy alone, that alone time after spending time with people. While extroverted people, they have a need for stimulation to recharge by spending time with other people. So they feel depleted about spending too much time alone. That's what the definitions are. Now with those definitions out of the way, let's jump in. Let's start with point number one, which is a misconception about talking more. There's a common misconception that the more you talk, the more influence you have. But in reality, those who talk the most often end up being ignored. Think about meetings yourself where somebody completely dominates a conversation. After a while, their voice just becomes background noise. I've seen this firsthand in tech startups and even at Google. The person who's always talking tends to lose respect and their impact dwindles over time. I remember my skip-level manager there, really nice guy, would be often quiet through the meeting, but when he spoke, people paid attention and listened. Which brings us to an even more important point. People are much more likely to listen when you do speak because you know you don't waste words. Like think of leaders you admire. Often they might speak less, but when they do, everyone listens. That's executive presence. That's the power of speaking less. And when you speak less, your words carry more weight because they are carefully chosen and delivered with intention. Every word has a purpose. This precision makes your message more impactful. By not overwhelming your audience with unnecessary information, you command their attention and respect, making your communication more persuasive and memorable. In essence, this is about quality over quantity. Fewer words, more power. This approach is especially effective in leadership in high-stakes situations, where clear, concise communication can be the difference between success and failure. It demonstrates confidence, authority, and thoughtfulness, all of which are essential traits for effective leadership. Now, just speaking less is not sufficient. You need to combine that with developing what most people refer to as executive presence. So executive presence is a combination of qualities that enable a leader to inspire confidence, command respect, and project authority. It encompasses how you present yourself in high-stakes situations, how you communicate, and how you carry yourself. People with strong executive presence are often perceived as credible, capable, and in control, making others much more likely to follow their lead. Now, there's many key elements of executive presence, which include confidence, displaying self-assurance in your abilities and decisions, even under pressure, clarity, communicating ideas and directives clearly and effectively, ensuring that your message is understood, poise, maintaining composure in challenging situations, demonstrating grace under pressure, decisiveness, making informed decisions quickly and confidently, which reassures others of your leadership, and authenticity, being genuine and true to your values, which builds trust and credibility. Now, executive presence is often the difference between being perceived as a capable manager and being perceived as a true leader, which product leaders are meant to be. If you speak less, you can build executive presence, but there's certain tricks to this. So number one, you have to engage your audience. And that's all about making a connection. And that starts with listening. When you listen more, you understand better what your audience needs, and you can tailor this message accordingly. So in meetings, instead of jumping in with your opinion, which would also not be a tendency as an introvert, try listening and then summarizing the key points before adding your perspective. Second is communicating your expertise. So that doesn't mean showing off you know everything. It's about being concise and relevant. Use data and facts to back up your points. Don't be afraid of pauses, because pauses can emphasize your points and show confidence. For example, in a product review meeting, instead of detailing every single aspect of your product and thereby talking more, focus on the key metrics that matter to your stakeholders. Practice active listening in every conversation. Make it a habit to summarize what you've heard before you speak. Now, this has another side effect, which brings in point number four, building trust. Developing executive presence isn't about commanding attention. It's about building respect and trust. When you speak less, but mean more, your colleagues and stakeholders will start to see you as a leader. When you speak less, your words become more intentional and meaningful. This signals that you value other people's time and attention, making your communication even more impactful. By avoiding unnecessary details and focusing on what matters, you demonstrate that you're thoughtful, considerate, which ultimately fosters trust. Now, people are more likely to trust someone who's concise and to the point, as it suggests that they have a clear understanding of the situation, they're not trying to manipulate or overwhelm with information. Now there's one more highly overlooked point, which might be the most crucial. Introversion might actually help you become more strategic. Introverts naturally spend more time reflecting and thinking, which often leads to a more strategic approach to their work and decisions. This tendency to engage in deep thought allows introverts to carefully consider various aspects of a situation before taking action. And this can help them be more strategic because number one, they have the depth of thought. They tend to process information internally, which means they often take the time to explore different angles, consider potential outcomes and anticipate challenges. This depth of thought helps them develop well-rounded strategies that take multiple factors into account. Second, they focus on prioritization. Because they're more inclined to be deliberate before acting, they're often better at identifying what truly matters. This enables them to prioritize effectively, focusing on high-impact areas and long-term goals rather than getting sidetracked by immediate but less important tasks. Number three, risk assessment. The reflective nature of introverts allows them to carefully weigh the pros and cons of various options. This thoughtful approach to risk assessment helps them create strategies that are not only ambitious, but also realistic and grounded in a solid understanding of the risks and rewards. And number four, long-term vision. They often think about the bigger picture and longer-term implications of their decisions. This ability to see beyond the immediate situation allows them to craft strategies that are sustainable and align with the overall goals of the organization. By spending more time thinking and reflecting, introverts are naturally equipped to be more strategic as they develop plans and make decisions with a comprehensive understanding of the situation and a clear focus on their objectives. Look, you must remember that it's not about saying more. It's more about making your words count. By developing executive presence, you can command the room, build respect, and influence others without changing who you are. Now if you are ready to transform your impact as a product manager, I invite you to book a breakthrough session with us and we can help you figure out really what are the most important leverage points in your career and how you as an introvert or an extrovert can get to that next level. Click the link in the description below or scan this QR code to book your consultation now. And of course, don't look to like this video, subscribe to our channel, and hit the bell icon for more tips on how to become a top 1% product manager. See you next time.