Juliette Han, a Harvard-trained neuroscientist and adjunct professor at Columbia Business School, suggests that introverts who struggle with speaking up in meetings can still make a significant impact on their career by utilizing a different approach. Han, who identifies as an introvert herself, advises sending a brief and thoughtful recap email after important meetings as a valuable strategy for being noticed and valued at work.
This tactic involves summarizing 2-3 key takeaways from the meeting and proposing action items to achieve the outlined goals. It's essential to reserve this strategy for crucial meetings that directly affect career development, such as brainstorms, status-update gatherings, problem-solving sessions, or other significant work conversations. Han emphasizes that one should not send follow-up emails after every meeting and should gauge the preferences of managers and colleagues before initiating this practice.
Before implementing this strategy, it's advisable to communicate with colleagues and managers to ensure their receptiveness to this approach. Han suggests respectfully approaching coworkers and managers with a script indicating your intention to send recap emails, while also welcoming their input and perspective.
Han asserts that this approach not only demonstrates initiative but also showcases in-demand soft skills such as adaptability, communication, and most importantly, leadership. By taking the lead on summarizing discussions and driving work forward without the necessity of speaking up, introverts can portray strong leadership qualities, earning recognition and value in the workplace.