“Solitude
matters, and for some people, it's the air they breathe”
A number of years ago my
wife had a friend who was a psychologist.
One day when this lady was visiting in our home, she remarked to me
somewhat out of the blue that I was an introvert. Apparently, she and my wife had been
talking about me. I was 45 years old at
the time and nobody--ever-- had called me that.
"Whoa," I said, "I'm a professional trial lawyer for
crying out loud, how can I possibly be an introvert?" The friend/psychologist explained to me that
the official, scientific definition of "introvert" is someone who
draws energy from solitude. An
"extrovert," she said, draws energy from being with other people. "Well," said I, "given that
definition, then I am for sure an introvert and our son Hunter is for sure an
extrovert." Old Hunter couldn't sit
in his room by himself for ten minutes without getting on the phone and trying
to line up friends for some fun. On the
other hand, I am never as content as when I have an evening by the fire with a
good book. The psychologist explained away
my profession as an advocate by noting that I was an introvert "who knows
how to act like an extrovert." I
thought that this was an interesting observation but I knew that her analysis
was dependent on her definitions. Like
many people, introvert to me meant someone who was quiet and timid, qualities
that certainly did not apply to me. Years
earlier, my wife the grad student had put me through the Myers/Briggs test, but
all I remembered from that is that I was classified as a High 'N." I thought that meant that I was good at
influencing people. I decided that when
trying a lawsuit I must be channeling my inner extrovert.
Of course, in this type of discussion,
definitions are everything. I later
confirmed that the basic definitions of "introvert" and
"extrovert" are just as the psychologist laid them out for me so many
years ago. An "introvert" is
basically defined as someone who draws energy from being alone from their own
internal resources. An
"extrovert" is defined as someone who draws energy from being with
others or from external sources. Although
there are some traits that seem to correlate with being an introvert or an
extrovert, not all would necessarily have those particular
characteristics. There is
substantial scientific evidence introverts are born with a "high reactive
system," making them more sensitive to their stimuli environment. Because of this, introverts typically need
more quiet time to recharge their batteries than do extroverts.
I thought about this conversation
over the years and I eventually decided that the psychologist's analysis of my basic
nature was accurate. I think that I had
actually fooled myself. I just don't
have the typical shy, retiring personality that people associate with the
common understanding of an introvert. The
more I thought about this issue of needing to replenish my energy with quiet
time, the more I became convinced that my wife's psychologist friend had pegged
me correctly. Once I accepted that I was
in fact an introvert, the more things came into focus. If I was the extrovert that I had always
thought I was, why did I hate going to parties with strangers and having to
make idle small talk? Why did I resist
going on out Friday nights after a hard week of work? Why did I hate trying out new
restaurants? My wife frequently teased
me about always wanting to eat in familiar restaurants where I could feel
"safe and warm." That got to be a family joke. Why did I have such a hard time delegating
work? Why did I avoid meetings at all
costs? Why did writing letters or
sending emails always seem preferable to calling people on the phone? After a while, it all started to make sense? All of these things were aspects of my basic
introverted nature.
I am clearly wired to be an introvert
but of course I am forced to daily operate in a world made for and populated by
extroverts. The legal profession abounds
with signals that extroverts rule. Even
compliments illustrate the atmosphere:
"He is a hard-charger."
In many law firms extroverted "rainmakers" rule the roost and
take home most of the money. Young
lawyers must bill out all of their days and are encouraged to get out at night
and "network" for all they are worth.
If you add in the time demands of running a home and being a parent,
there is precious little time left for battery recharging in the life of the
typical young lawyer. It took me a long
time to learn that a lot of my nightly fatigue was mental and emotional and not
just physical from all the required activity.
The fact of the matter is that I do
in fact draw energy from "alone time," "me time,"
"quiet time," "having my own space," or however you want to
describe being alone and in solitude. In
fact, if I have a couple of nights out in a row, I tend to get very tired and
drained and begin to long for my den and my easy chair. I can be pretty hostile to anyone who tries
to interfere with my down time. This bit
of insight from the psychologist enabled me to gain some understanding of my
basic nature and explained some things to me that had not made sense to me
before. I have come to believe over time
that self-awareness is really important.
It is useful to understand yourself, to understand other people, and to
understand how you relate (or don't relate) to other people. The law is a profession that most people
would think would be populated almost exclusively by extroverts. In fact, a good deal of research has been
done on this issue, and some social scientists believe that as many as half of
all lawyers are in fact introverts. Estimates
vary but some studies say that fully one-third of all people are introverts.
Not every introvert fits
the stereotype. Not every extrovert fits
the stereotype. For instance, the
literature tells us that being shy is not a necessary feature of being an
introvert. Nobody who knows me would
describe me as "shy”. However,
there are certainly introverts who are also shy. Jefferson City lawyer Shannon Kempf and I
have discussed this several times and he fully owns up to the label of shy
introvert. One typical introvert characteristic is
reluctance to share personal information.
This one clearly does not apply to your author or you would not be
reading this article. The research
indicates that there is a spectrum of traits from extrovert to introvert. All of us are somewhere along the continuum
and probably none of us are completely extroverted or completely
introverted. We are all some combination
of the two. Some scholars have even
described the "ambivert,"a combination of introvert and extrovert. In the course of working on this article I
have taken several of the self-tests available and I seem to fall on the
borderline between "clearly introverted" and "some features of both
introvert and extrovert." I don't
get anywhere near extrovert territory.
It turns out that the
famed psychiatrist/psychologist Carl Jung first described the differences
between introversion and extroversion early in the 20th Century. So these are not new ideas but perhaps they
have not heretofore made their way into the mainstream of the thinking of the
masses. So to talk about this we have to
get away from the common understanding of the introvert/extrovert distinction
as solely related to reticence. There
are certainly loud, pushy introverts even if it's hard to think of them that
way. I am a talkative introvert. That probably throws some people off from
perceiving me as an introvert. Here's a
good explanation of the differences in meaning between a "social
introvert" and a "psychological introvert" from Gary Jordan,
Ph.D.:"
The
confusion between social introversion/extraversion and psychological
introversion/extraversion is fueled by the fact that most examples used to
explain the concepts depend on observable behaviors – which are social due to
the mere fact that they are observable. And to stress clarity,
most examples are presented as polar opposites. So you will see things
like "extraverts are gregarious and like parties and community gatherings
and political demonstrations" and "Introverts like solitary
activities like reading and writing, computer games, and listening to music *** Psychological introverts do indeed
have social graces and enjoy parties and can be just as passionate about public
demonstrations as the next guy. Psychological extraverts enjoy music, and
reading and writing too.***
Knowing
whether you are a Jungian introvert or a Jungian extravert can be very
important in helping you to be more comfortable with yourself. It can help you make difficult decisions about
careers, determine what kinds of skills you are likely to excel at and what
kinds you are not, understand why some environments are better for you than
others, and choose products and services best suited to your temperament. The same can be said about knowing whether you
are primarily a social introvert or a social extravert.
The ABA Journal published an article in 2008 that identified the legal
profession as the "sixth best occupation" for introverts. One study found that 43% of lawyers are
extroverts while 57% of lawyers are introverts. Many of the professional activities of a
lawyer of course call for qualities of careful analysis and planning. Writing up estate plans and real estate
contracts all day would seem to call for a person who can function alone and in
quietude. One would think that the trial
Bar would be made up exclusively of raving extroverts but even this common
perception doesn't necessarily hold true.
There are in fact "fire-breathing introverts." Some
of those fire-breathers become courtroom advocates.
Last year I saw a blurb
on a new book about introversion called Quiet,
The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, written by
former lawyer Susan Cain. I watched a
piece by Ms. Cain on TED (YouTube) and then ordered this book and read through
it as soon as it came in. The book,
which got wide notice in the media, confirmed the basics of what our
psychologist friend had said years ago. But
the book went further and gave a detailed analysis of the pros and cons of
being an introvert forced to function in what the author described as an
"extrovert world," where extroversion is highly prized by employers
and colleagues. The book gave many
"how to" pointers to help an introvert better function in an
extroverted society.
An example of how an introvert must
deal with an extroverted world would be being active in Bar association
activities. An introverted lawyer might
attend the Missouri Bar Annual Meeting for several days, attend formal
programs, make new contacts, network effectively, and attend all available
cocktail parties. However, such an
effort would tend to drain the introvert where the extrovert would probably be
pumped sky high from all the socializing.
An introvert would likely hate attending meetings, whereas an extrovert
might well enjoy the interaction.
Author Susan Cain makes these
observations about work habits:
Many psychologists would agree that introverts and
extroverts work differently. Extroverts
tend to tackle assignments quickly.
They make fast (sometimes rash) decisions, and are comfortable multitasking
and risk-taking. They enjoy "the
thrill of the chase" for rewards like money and status. Introverts often work more slowly and
deliberately. They like to focus on one
task at a time and can have mighty powers of concentration. They're relatively immune to the lures of
wealth and fame.
American
society seems to hold extroverts in high-esteem and in effect discourages
traits of reflection and quiet thinking.
Have you ever tried to fill out a timesheet by listing "thinking
about the case?" Somebody once
criticized me for sitting at my desk all day "doing nothing." Silly me, I thought that I had worked through
quite a few thorny problems that day. I
read a piece years ago by an older lawyer who bemoaned the loss of the
contemplative aspect of our profession. "The
law is a contemplative profession," he said. He noted that people bring us their problems
and ask us to solve them. This requires contemplation,
he observed. He said he had often been
criticized for sitting at his desk with his feet up, mulling over a particular
decision. Extroverts expect to see
motion and action. As a result of the
inability of extroverts to "get us," introverts can feel out of place
and misunderstood.
There are pros
and cons to being an extrovert, just like there are pros and cons to being an
introvert. It has long seemed to me that
many litigators tend to get to the point where they are dashing around from one
airplane trip to the next, from one expert's deposition to the next. Always in motion. Litigators can schedule themselves so densely
that precious little time seems to be left for thinking and reflection. One phenomenon I have observed is that many
litigators spend all their time running around taking depositions but don't
seem to find time to time to actually read over them. I remember one day long ago going down to the
office of legendary Kansas City plaintiff's lawyer Max Foust and finding him in
a back office with his feet up reading through a stack of depositions getting
ready for a trial. I remember thinking
how rarely I had seen such a sight from dealing with high powered trial lawyers
for several years. After I got to know
Max, I found that he did in fact devote a substantial amount of his time to
reading, thinking, and analyzing what was being turned up in discovery. What a novel idea! One year long ago I had two jury trials in
the same year, one plaintiff and one defense, and the opposing lawyers, both
very experienced and highly regarded, both put on expert witnesses to testify
to theories on liability that were fundamentally inconsistent with what their
own client had said about the facts in their deposition. Hard to win doing that. So reading and re-reading the key depositions
may not be very dramatic, and you might actually have to shut your office door
and turn off the phone for a while, but you need to do that at some point prior
to trial. This might well be easier for
introverts than for extroverts. If it's a
good enough approach for Max Foust, it's good enough for me!
Nichole Sublett, an excellent young trial
lawyer from Jefferson City, says that she has always thought that the term
"introverted trial lawyer" was an oxymoron. If you take the popular understanding of an
introvert as a shy and timid person, then introverted trial lawyer probably
would be an oxymoron. However, if you
accept the scientific definition of an introvert as someone who prefers to live
inside their own head rather than party and who needs a substantial amount of
"me time" to recharge their batteries, then the oxymoron description does
not necessarily apply. Introverted types
can certainly become effective trial lawyers if they have the basic forensic
abilities and backbone to step up and do the work. Kansas City trial lawyer Sophie Woodworth,
introvert, says that the energy of a trial stimulates her but that she still gets
nervous during a trial. Well Sophie,
good news, every trial lawyer worth her salt gets nervous during a trial be she
introvert or extrovert. If you are not
nervous to some degree, then you are not taking your responsibilities seriously
enough. Some degree of nervousness makes
you more alert. The key is to be able to
overcome your nerves to the point that you are capable of doing whatever it is
you are able to do with the facts and law you have at your disposal.
Based on trying cases for over 40 years now, I
think there are definitely different ways to skin the cat. Abraham Lincoln was well known to be an
introvert. He was a pretty good trial
lawyer. Veteran Raymore, Missouri, trial
attorney Lyle Gregory admits to being an introvert and points out that Gerry Spence, who Gregory calls one of the
greatest trial lawyers of all time, speaks of the importance of finding quiet
time. Gregory notes that Spence says that
it renews your energy and that it gives you time to think creatively away from
the hustle and bustle of a law practice.
One of the strengths
of an introvert is the ability to use quiet time to process facts and
analyze. I swear that I have won cases
from my bathtub on a quiet Sunday night when some flash of insight about a case
suddenly popped into my head. I can
remember a case from several years ago where I represented a plaintiff who had
undergone two knee replacements that had both gone bad. Boiled down to essentials, the defendant
doctor had cut the bones in both legs crooked before he affixed the artificial knee
components. The X-rays clearly
demonstrated the problem. The
manufacturer had specified that a cut needed to be made in the femur at an 8
degree angle, from front to rear. However,
the right knee had a 16 degree sloping cut, which caused the plaintiff's artificial
knee literally to go sliding down the hill when he stood up. In his deposition, the defendant orthopedic
surgeon had testified that you couldn't just blindly follow the manufacturer's
directions without customizing your cut to conform to the patient's individual anatomy.
The complaint about the other knee
related to a side-to-side cut that should have been perpendicular to the bone
but was cut at such a radical angle that the revising surgeon had to put in a
shim to enable him to attach new knee components. That knee was easy. Shortly before the scheduled mediation, I was
ruminating on the case (yes, in the bathtub) and it seemed like the surgeon's
explanation of conforming his cut to the plaintiff's anatomy was pretty
reasonable. I wasn't sure what to do
with that. Suddenly it hit me. What angle did he cut the other knee from
front to back? I called my own expert
orthopedic surgeon the next morning and he went and measured the other knee on
the X-rays. He called me back a short
while later and advised me that the other knee was cut made at-- tada-- 8
degrees. So you certainly wouldn't
customize one knee at a 16 degree angle and the other one at the manufacturer's
recommended 8 degrees. The case settled
at mediation for a relatively handsome figure.
In a year or so of running around and jumping on and off airplanes this
simple point had escaped me. Taking some
quiet time to think about the case had enabled me to see a point that should
have been obvious but which I had not seen as I scrambled my way madly through
the discovery phase of the case.
Lyle Gregory had another interesting
thought.
It seems to
be that in the solo/small practice world, whether you’re an introvert or an
extrovert helps to determine the practice model you’ll follow. I find myself gravitating toward a smaller number
of (hopefully) bigger cases, so that I have less telephone time and more time
to carefully think about each case. I know others who seem to love the
hurly-burly of having a very “active” practice and who seek out high-volume
work like work comp, soft tissue PI, etc. When they get a big case, they usually refer
it.
That
observation certainly fits my practice model to a tee. The past few years a lot of my work has been
in prosecuting licensing disciplinary cases for the Missouri State Board of Regulation
for the Healing Arts. Many of these
cases require intense and sustained study of medical issues on quality of care
issues. This type of administrative law
work also requires extensive research and briefing, not to mention that
physicians, facing discipline of their licenses, tend to be willing to spend
the money to appeal an adverse decision until their appeals run out. I have had two cases that have lasted over 10
years before the Missouri Supreme Court finally resolved them. So maybe my basic introvert nature may even have
affected my practice in ways that I myself have not fully comprehended.
A commonly observed
trait of an introvert is communicating by using less words. Remember that lawyer/President/Mt. Rushmore
resident Abraham Lincoln, the introvert, used only about 270 words in the
Gettysburg Address., one of the most powerful speeches in recorded
history. An extrovert likely will use
far more words to communicate the same basic ideas. Executive coach Jennifer Selby Long has this suggestion
for how to tell an introvert from an extrovert:
Listen for
sheer volume of words. How many words
does this person use to convey his or her ideas? Introverts use far fewer words in a day than
do extraverts of the same gender, and will say nothing if someone else has
already conveyed the message. The prize
for fewest words of all goes to the introverted male and the prize for the most
words, embarrassingly, goes to yours truly, the female extravert.
Many
years of study, practice, and observation of courtroom lawyers has suggested to
me that less is frequently more when it comes to persuasion. A short, pithy argument (or brief) oftentimes
carries more persuasive power than a torrent of words and details.
So the natural tendencies of an introverted trial lawyer may
well produce a shorter, sweeter, and more focused presentation. And that is usually a good thing, in my
humble opinion. Famed 19th Century English
barrister Richard Harris thought so too:
Commence
with those facts about which there is no dispute, and by gradual and imperceptible
steps lead the jury to those propositions that are most strongly
contested. Do this in as pleasing and
entertaining a manner as possible, and in as few words as practicable. Ever remember that, as Carlyle says, 'silence
is the eternal duty of man,' and that that lawyer who says the least that a case requires, as a rule, is more
successful than the one who says the most that can be said upon the subject. (The
emphasis is Mr. Harris's)
So, just
maybe, introverts might have some natural advantages that would help
performance in the courtroom.
On a personal
level, I'm not sure that everyone has understood my need for solitude and
quiet. This has sometimes been interpreted
as being anti-social. In general,
extroverts sometimes seem not to be able to understand the particular needs of
a true introvert. This is usually
described as getting time to "recharge your batteries," or some other
similar euphemism. As a student, I ran
for offices and planned a career in politics.
However, after seeing Senator Tom Eagleton and Mayor Richard Berkley at
seemingly every event I attended as a young lawyer, it seemed to me that the
last thing I wanted to do was to spend every night of the week wearing a suit
at some function. Not to mention that I
would immediately get into trouble with large portions of the electorate for
speaking my mind. Perhaps successful
politicians enjoy and gain energy from being constantly "on" in the
public arena. Me, not so much.
One Amazon.com reviewer of Quiet has these comments:
I always thought I was just weird. I can be alone in my car for a 1h drive and
not want to have the radio or music on. On Sundays I often join the walking
club for a long 25km walk, but I prefer to do it alone (and oh, all the pity
looks you get!). The idea of surprise parties make me sick to my stomach, and
any event where a thousand people are together are possibly even worse. I
dislike small talk, but I probably hate even more how nervous I get when I have
to do it.
This
review got a big "me too" from me when I read it. One thing I love about the aspect of my job
of driving around the state of Missouri in representing my state government clients
is the quiet time I get in the car. For,
me, the car is a place of quiet and solitude, a welcome respite from the
constant drone of noise, music, and voices.
I do some of my best thinking in the car.
Risk-taking is said to be more difficult for
introverts than extroverts. I have been
an amateur musician for most of my adult life.
I was a "closet picker" for many years, too unsure of my
abilities to "play out," as us musicians say. Now after nearly forty years of picking and
grinning, I am comfortable playing in front of other people and even on stage
from time to time. To be a performing
musician requires an interesting combination of qualities. You have to be enough of an introvert to sit
in your room practicing for several years to gain enough skill
("chops" to us musical types) to play in public. 10,000 hours to fully master a skill say the
experts. Then you have to be enough of
an extrovert to get up on a stage and play for actual people. This reluctance to play in public could be
thought of as being risk averse. This is
the most public risk-taking activity, risk taking being one of the activities not
usually within the wheelhouse of the true introvert. Extroverts are known to be generally more
willing to take risks. Perhaps a
stereotype but probably one with some considerable basis. Indeed, exhibiting a boisterous personality is in itself something
in the nature of risk taking. A quiet,
reserved person at least does not generally stir up resentment, whereas a
boisterous, talkative person sometimes can.
The science says that introverts react
strongly to stimuli. Being at a loud
cocktail party, with music playing, meeting strangers who one might never see
again, having to make small talk with casual business acquaintances simply
tends to overload the senses of the card-carrying introvert. Such an experience probably is followed by a
night watching television at home or reading.
My extrovert wife always wants to invite people over to watch March
Madness, while I look forward to the two of us (or maybe just me) watching in
the homey comfort of our den, close by the refrigerator, hopefully laden with
Bud Light and cheese dip. I prefer to focus
on the game in silence rather than making small talk and missing a lot of the
actual game action. I really don't want
to have to carry on a conversation in the middle of the big game, other than
maybe to yell at the television a few times if my team is mucking things up or
the refs are letting the opponents get away with murder in the lane. Call me a basketball purist.
Susan Cain notes that the modern trend of
working in groups, in "open" workplaces, and functioning in teams,
probably does not mesh with the work needs of introverts. She notes that the research shows that
introverts generally work more effectively on their own. Collaborating may be the way of the
extrovert. Author Cain notes that
research shows that the best talker in the group may have more sway than the
merits of his/her ideas might deserve.
In contrast, the deepest thinkers might be the most reluctant to speak
up in support of their ideas. When
reading Susan Cain's comments on collaborative work groups, I was reminded of
my first few weeks in law school when I attended a study group. After a few sessions, it was clear to me
that I was going to learn a lot more studying on my own than spending hours
with fellow students in a gabfest.
Fortunately, lawyers are usually provided with
private offices, most likely because of the need for client privacy. In any event, most lawyers are not faced with
the problem of working in open plan offices.
Perhaps an introverted lawyer may need to have his door closed more than
an extroverted lawyer. I once had a
secretary who left the front door open all day so that she could hail any and
all passers-by. She was wonderful with
people but weak in areas that required close attention and concentrated
focus. An introverted lawyer may simply
need more quiet time at work than others in the office.
A few years ago I heard veteran Kansas City trial
lawyer Dana Tippin Cutler make an offhand remark about "the one person on
the jury panel who raises their hand and comments on every question
asked." This observation made me
laugh out loud. There always does seem
to be one person who speaks to virtually every question during voir dire. Usually, both sides end up wanting to
challenge this person if they don't manage to talk themselves into a challenge for
cause. Some people on jury panels raise
their hands and talk a lot. Most won't
respond unless something very specific is asked. So perhaps we trial lawyers could draw some
general conclusions about the overall traits of the introverts and extroverts
on the jury panel based on the frequency and eagerness of the responses of the
panelists.
I recently came across a blog called "The
Introverted Lawyer" and found a number of interesting observations from
self-identified introverted lawyers. One
posted about her lifelong hatred of the telephone. That was an "aha moment" for your
author. In particular the poster
complained about being interrupted while trying to concentrate on a
project. An extroverted partner of mine
years ago felt that any telephone call, from any person, about any subject, at
any time, justified halting whatever project or meeting he was then involved
in. Me, not so much. It drove him nuts that I wanted to go into the
library and work uninterrupted on a brief or something else that required
focused concentration, leaving messages to collect in a pile of little pink
slips. Calling people back didn't seem
to suffice. The introverted poster said
that she much preferred to communicate by email. Me too.
Of course, being somewhat advanced in years at this point, one reason I
prefer to communicate by email is to have a good record of my
communications. Your memory definitely
slips a bit as you get older.
It has been my observation over the years that
a strong and healthy organization needs different types of people with different
strengths and weaknesses. Law firms are no
different from any other type of organization in this regard. I was once employed as an associate in a
small law firm where all the original partners were exceptional rainmakers,
extroverts if ever there were extroverts.
We were so loaded with business that in my first year as a new associate
in their newly-formed law firm, I barely had enough time to review all of the dozens
of files in my office. It was actually
scary. I had visions of missed statutes
of limitations dancing in my head most every night. Virtually all office meetings, however, were
devoted to the subject of how we could get more business. This firm didn't last long. All of the partners had the same
strengths. And, unfortunately, the same
weaknesses. We clearly needed a better ratio
between high-rolling, extroverted business getters and humble worker bees such
as myself to process the legal work the partners were so good at bringing in.
As in so many areas, a cottage industry has
grown up in "coaching" introverts in how to overcome their weaknesses
and perform more effectively in the modern world. An excellent self-help is Jon Mercer's Fire Breathing Introvert Coaching Series, which can be found at
<http://www.firebreathingintrovert.com/>.
This series is relatively inexpensive and includes downloadable audio
and video clips. Jon Mercer emphasizes
the strengths that introverts tend to have over extroverts, creativity being one
of the most significant. (Darwin,
Einstein, Chopin). Don't try to fake
being an extrovert, Mercer advises, accept yourself as you are and "just
be one badass introvert!" (Rosa
Parks, Gandhi, Yoda). Mercer provides a
number of actual exercises to help introverts gain additional self confidence
that may help some people. A good book
on the subject is The Introverts Guide to
Professional Success by Joyce Shelleman, Ph.D. Dr. Shelleman advises introverts on how to
"deploy your introversion as the vital professional asset that it
is." Her chapter on networking for
introverts is especially interesting. Another
good, practical book on this general subject is The Introvert Advantage: How to
Thrive in an Extrovert World, by Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D. Another good reference is Self-Promotion for Introverts by Nancy
Ancowitz.
Some of the tips in these references I found helpful
and some not so much. One piece of
advice that did seem useful was to try to learn how to conserve your
energy. We have had season tickets to
half the KU basketball games for several years now. For a weekday game where I am going to spend
the day in the office, drive across town during rush hour, drive the 35 miles
or so over to Lawrence, sit jammed amongst 16,300 screaming Jayhawk fanatics in
Allen Field House for two-and-a-half hours at a 100 decibels, walk down dozens
of stairs, walk half-a-mile to my car, creep along in the parking lot for 30
more minutes, drive home to Kansas City in heavy traffic listening to my wife's
classic rock station (turned up loud), arriving home at close to midnight, I
have learned to eat a good breakfast and go in late to the office. Or perhaps skip out early and take a short
nap in the afternoon. I know that I am
going to physically and emotionally drained from all the effort, noise, and
excitement. So I have learned to
conserve my energy. Of course, this plan
all depends on not having all hell break loose in the office on game day. If not, I can usually work later another day
if work needs to be made up. So taking
time to plan so as to best conserve our precious introvert energy might be a
good strategy for many of us. Rock
Chalk!
Managing your energy seems to be a key for an
introvert to operate effectively in an extrovert world. Giving yourself short rest periods between
client meetings might prove to be a good strategy. One thing that has worked for me is taking a
deposition or brief that I need to read carefully to a coffee shop or other
quiet place where there are unlikely to be interruptions. Once this work was done, I could return to the
office and deal with the little pink call slips and other matters requiring my
attention. When I have something that
really needs my complete attention, I will often just stay at home and work on
it in peace and quiet.
Lawyer Shannon Kempf kindly reviewed a draft
of this article and had these interesting strategies for compensating for his
introversion:
`I sometimes take my eyeglasses
off when I'm forced into a large crowd or a stressful circumstance. It helps me relax to not see peoples' faces.
It may sound odd, but some research
shows that shy introverts are very good at reading facial expressions (much better than non-shy people). That is, shy
introverts are very accurate in their readings of other people's expressions (though they then blow those readings
way out of proportion--hence, the
social awkwardness and the drained feelings). Because I know that I can be shy, not reading someone's expressions actually
relieves my shyness. I can keep on
with the evening until I feel more relaxed. Then I put my glasses back on.
One author suggested that introverts
try taking small steps to expand their horizons, such as by making a decision
to go to a cocktail party and try to meet three new people and to learn three things
about each one of them.
Here's something simple. Extroverts love to be involved in all kinds
of organizations. Me, not so much. Possibly the worst mistake of my life was
running for my condo board a few years ago.
Three years of unmitigated misery sitting in endless meetings that never
seemed to want to conclude. Why not
limit the organizations you join to one or two that hold particular significance
for you? If you agree to serve on a half-a-dozen
odd boards, you are going to be out and about every other night and that is going
to keep you tired all the time and seriously detract from your ability to
perform at your best in the office.
The law profession is apparently filled with
introverts, like me. Most of us have
probably learned to "act like extroverts" when the need arises. A "man of action" may be more
admired than his more thoughtful contemporaries in current society. However, it is clear that many of the
fundamental tasks performed by lawyers, drafting, legal research, internet
research on technical questions of medicine or engineering, analyzing, advising
clients, and strategizing fit well with the natural inclinations and abilities
of an introvert. However, it would seem
that an introvert would be at a substantial disadvantage in such areas as
networking and producing new business. Most
rainmakers are undoubtedly extroverts. The
saying in the profession used to be that a law firm needed "finders,
minders, and grinders." Extroverts
are undoubtedly better at the finding part.
Perhaps introverts would have an advantage at the minding and grinding
part. An effective law firm clearly
benefits from having both extroverts and introverts among their staff of
lawyers, as does the law profession as a whole.
The key message from the psychologists and
coaches seems to be to accept and understand your natural preferences and act
accordingly. Once you come to understand
yourself and your natural preferences, then you can begin to work out ways in
which to maximize your efficiency and job satisfaction.
(my friend Bob Willson, Ph.D. English
Professor, says that informal pieces like this don't need a
Conclusion
but if I were going to have one, this
is where it would be!)
It seems to me that the key to a
satisfying career is to find the career path that leaves you swimming
downstream most of the time rather than constantly having to swim
upstream. Play to your strengths might
be another way of saying the same thing.
You are wired the way you are wired.
There's not much way to change that.
My son, the ultimate extrovert, is a super salesman who makes big bucks
selling blocks of internet advertising. I
would surely go broke trying to make my living as a salesman. My former wife once described my job as writing
term papers for a living. She said that
with a considerable degree of disdain. Not
sure my son would make much money writing briefs for a living. In my particular blend of cases, legal
research and writing has always been a big part of my agenda. I have always felt lucky in that I enjoy
those more mundane everyday tasks just as much as I enjoy the more exciting but
certainly now less frequent activities involved in trying a case. I have been swimming downstream for some time
now. You can't change who you are and
you shouldn't have to. However, you can
understand your basic nature and try to find a niche that fits your own
individual talents and needs.
Copyright
2013
by
Glenn E. Bradford
Gary Jordan, Ph.D., seen at <
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/introverts-and-extraverts-they-arent-what-you-think-4747944.html>
http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/list_of_best_jobs_for_introverts_ranks_lawyer_sixth. The top ten jobs for introverts were listed
as:
The top 10 jobs overall for introverts are:
1.
Computer software
engineer (applications)
2.
Computer software
engineer (systems software)
3.
Computer systems analyst
4.
Network systems and data
communications analyst
5.
Accountant and auditor
6.
Lawyer
7.
Financial analyst
8.
Personal financial
adviser
9.
Medical scientist (except
epidemiologist)
10.
Market research analyst
Larry Richard, The
Lawyer Types, ABA Journal (July
1993), Table 1.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWaB20rYuF8
(firebreathingintroverts.com)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4
Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't
Stop Talking, page 11.
Five Easy Ways to
Spot An Introvert At Work <
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/five-easy-ways-to-spot-an-introvert-at-work-477838.html>
Richard Harris, Before
and At Trial, What Should Be Done by Counsel, Solicitor and Client, 1890,
(Edward Thompson Company 1890), p. 210.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mkFLbDJST4 (folk wisdom
from Billy)
Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D., The Introvert Advantage: How to
Thrive in an Extrovert World (Workman Publishing N.Y., 2002).
Nancy
Ancowitz , Self-Promotion for Introverts
(McGraw Hill 2010)
Thoughtful and helpful. Introverts probably post comments rather than calling.
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