Tips On How To Establish Relationship With An Introverted Boss

Tips On How To Establish Relationship With An Introverted Boss
Taking with boss

Tips On How To Establish Relationship With An Introverted Boss

At work, you may find that you display improved productivity levels and an uplifted mood if you have a good working relationship with your boss. However, if your boss is more introverted than extroverted, finding the right way to develop a relationship can be a bit tricky.

It is so important to have a lot of flexibility and patience with an introverted person, as they usually feel exhausted by having to engage socially with others.  Don't push your introverted boss into an unwanted chat at short notice. It is far better to give your boss the opportunity to observe you in action with others in the workplace, so they can think over their summation about who you are, before striking up a conversation.

An excellent way to start a natural conversation with your boss is to ask their opinion about something, so they can display their knowledge, or share their ideas.

Take Steps Slowly To Get Close

Especially if you are a more extroverted person, you have to realize that introverts need extra time to make a decision. An introverted boss is not one to be rushed into things, and they have to feel comfortable before eventually divulging more details about themselves or opening up to the vulnerabilities required of deeper social connections.

It is vital to be patient and move slowly to become close to an introverted boss. There is some truth about things that are quality and long-lasting take sufficient time to build. A quality working relationship is not something to be created overnight, as the more years you are in contact with an introverted boss, the stronger your personal history.

There are more than a few things that you can do to help develop and enrich a professional relationship with a shy boss.

Make sure to be aware of the following when approaching a boss who likes to keep to themselves.

  • Do not badger a boss to have an impromptu discussion or meeting without adequate warning time.
  • Be honest, trustworthy, and helpful. Proving yourself as an asset and not a liability helps build trust.
  • Time is on your side if you are patient, and maintain good character and habits with social interactions.

Although your boss is your superior at work, they are still a human being underneath it all. It is essential to make people feel comfortable enough with you to show a bit more of themselves. And some things are just not up for discussion or sharing if they can upset a professional image or leadership.

Email Ahead Of Time
For One-On-One Meetings

Doing something in a laptop

Your boss is an introvert, so they do not like surprises. Unless there is a dire emergency that cannot wait, it is best to give your boss enough time to schedule a conversation or meeting with you. Additionally, your boss does have a life beyond work and needs to follow their schedule accordingly.

Aside from being patient about meeting with your boss one-on-one, you want to make sure that you alert your boss ahead of time via email, text, or an online chat. It is best to avoid phone calls, and leave that as a last possible option for communication.

Many introverts find it a lot easier and smoother to communicate via the written word, before gathering their thoughts together if they have to speak aloud. Extroverts are very enthused about talking to someone in-person, whereas an introvert may have to take some personal time to muster the energy to commit to such a task.

Make sure to give your boss enough time to respond to your request and do not appear stressed, anxious, or upset if the meeting runs short, or there is a request to communicate online instead.

Be Flexible With Responses

Talking outside

Body language is a big deal, and if you are going to interact with an introvert, you are going to want to ensure that you use positive non-verbal communication appropriately. Equally important, you will want to make sure to gauge and read into your boss's non-verbal cues correctly.

You might finally get a moment to meet and speak with your boss, but don't think that they aren't engaged in the conversation. You will want to be aware of non-verbal communication such as eye contact, facial expression, and your boss's posture and gestures.

Keep your body language neutral and avoid the desire to reach out and touch your boss while speaking, if it comes naturally to you. Giving your boss enough personal space is vital to keeping things in a favorable light for you both.

Long conversations can be a torturous event that causes an introvert to shy away, even if they are in a leadership position. Chances are if your boss is staying silent and their eyes look serious, they may be thinking carefully over what has been said before they are going to make a response.

If you are overly hasty with a boss, attempt to dominate a conversation, or find other ways which are off-putting and make your boss uncomfortable, you may be surprised at the direction things turn, and quickly.

It is vital to listen well and give your boss enough time to make a response when there is a pause in a conversation. Whereas an extroverted boss may quickly blurt out ideas, or excitedly talks about their thoughts and ideas, introverts need to have enough time to think things through until they are satisfied with their final answer before sharing.

Stick to Relevant Information In Conversations

Talking

If you want your boss to come to you as a resource or a source of help for a project or decision, it is essential to show that you can be focused and stick to the point of a conversation. Give up details that are pertinent when discussing a subject with your boss, but do not overwhelm the conversation by straying off topic, or giving too many details where it becomes difficult to wrap things up.

Introverts do like to hear all the necessary details about a subject so that they can think things over and make an eventual decision or summation. However, introverts will be turned off if they find whoever they are talking to are continually injecting irrelevant information to boost their image, distract, or some other time-wasting reason.

Find Common Ground

You must remind yourself that even though you are in a professional working relationship with your boss as an employee, you are both still human beings.

Breaking the ice in conversations, or getting to know more about your boss is easier if you can uncover common ground.

Show genuine interest in topics that are being discussed at work, whether it involves a current project to increase the company profits, or your boss decides to ask your opinion on something. The most important thing is to take advantage of an opening when it presents itself, as introverted leaders may often be found silently pondering their next move while tucked away in their office, and less likely to be overly chatty.

When you do discover things that you share in common with the boss, do not become chummy too quickly, as that can arouse suspicion that you are digging for too much information. And the information that you are looking for may stray too far from anything relevant to the day-to-day operations at work.

Be mindful of the direction a conversation begins to travel, and additionally let your boss lead the conversation as they feel comfortable divulging their innermost thoughts and interests to you. For the most part, keep topics of discussion at a professional relationship level, and do not get too personal.

Build Trust Slowly

A boss who is an introvert is not one to trust too quickly. After all, it is easy to get burned by others or have personal information used against you. That being said, in order to win over a boss who is an introvert, you will want to prove yourself trustworthy.

Practice being forthright and honest about your intentions while at work, and make it a point to ask for feedback about your actions and productivity at work. A boss who is introverted will appreciate your interest in getting an assessment of your strengths and weaknesses at work, as it shows that you are involved in your work and care about improving.

It also pays to be helpful and to be a resource for a boss who leans to the introverted side of the personality spectrum. An introverted person naturally keeps to themselves, but only wants to put their trust in people and things that prove their usefulness and will not fail often.

Taking huge risks can be difficult when you are an introvert. Eventually, by successfully meeting the requirements of goals given to you by your boss, or seeking out tasks to complete that are helpful to improving the success of the company, a relationship with the boss can blossom.

If you are in need of a recommendation letter upon eventually departing your company, you'll be more likely to find that the boss you have worked so hard to curry favor with will be more than happy to oblige.

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