Well, according to Susan Cain, that’s an incorrect assumption that is actually costing business money.   In other words, business that is losing out on the power of the mighty Introvert.

Her talk from the February 2012 TED Conference lays out a compelling case for both introverts and quiet time for the extroverted.  In her opinion, the workplace has become too focused on constant teamwork and team building which tends to allow the agressive and extroverted to rise to the top.

Interestingly, she encourage workplaces that have cafe like spaces that encourage social behavior and casual interactions.  About Susan Cain:

Susan Cain is a former corporate lawyer and negotiations consultant — and a self-described introvert. At least one-third of the people we know are introverts, notes Cain in her new bookQuiet. Although our culture undervalues them dramatically, introverts have made some of the great contributions to society – from Chopin’s nocturnes to the invention of the personal computer to Gandhi’s transformative leadership. Cain argues that we design our schools, workplaces, and religious institutions for extroverts, and that this bias creates a waste of talent, energy, and happiness. Based on intensive research in psychology and neurobiology and on prolific interviews, she also explains why introverts are capable of great love and great achievement, not in spite of their temperaments — but because of them.

What about your workplace?  Are you overlooking the introverts?  And is there real talent there being overlooked?  Is there a better way of working that would allow everyone a greater amount of quiet time?  What are you losing by overlooking introverts and what they might offer.

This is a quick, funny presentation and one that’s very motivational.   But it also seems to be from the heart.  Looking at our careers, a straight path is rarely evident.  St. John is advocating 8 ideals that anyone, at any level can follow to make the most out of their lives.

From TED.com:

[Richard St. John] thinks of himself as an average guy, not talented at school, not terribly handsome or particularly lucky. So he spent more than a decade interviewing 500 people he defines as successful — from architect Frank Gehry to non-celebrities successful in their own lives.

The resulting book, Spike’s Guide to Success: Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky and RICH, has spawned a new avenue of success for St. John as a motivational speaker and talk-show star. His newest book is 8 to Be Great: The 8 Traits that Lead to Great Success.

Her talk on Recession-Proofing Your Career covers recession-proofing mistakes, looking at your hard skills and soft skills, managing up, and the art of self-promotion.  While Klaus is focusing on the recession here in the title, this is all good advice in any economy.  She also talks about the politics of most offices and how to operate within them.

This is just a clip but you can view the entire video here thanks to fora.tv.