Ladies and gentlemen I just found this great article for you to read:
Can waiting tables teach you how to be an entrepreneur.
Pay very close attention to … #1. Write it down. Make it your backdrop and your screensaver. Tattoo it on your ... well you get my point.
No skill you ever learn in life will get you as far as plain old people skills. The art of conversation. The art of listening. The art of shutting up. The art of using your eyes and ears twice as much as your mouth. If you are an introvert, I am sorry - you are not going to make it far when it comes to business and entrepreneurship. And maybe you don't want to. I am not trying to dog you if that is your thing. But if your goal is to be a star then you have got to start getting your mad crazy people skills in motion.
When I think back of all the successes, I have had over the past two decades just about all of them came from my people skills, either directly or indirectly. I have contracts that started off as casual airport conversations. I have lifelong friends because of a humorous encounter in a coffee shop.
Hey, you pushy sales guys this is for you: I am not heavily into being a salesman, but I know all I need to know from the great lady that was my real estate broker. Right after I got my real estate license several years ago, she was teaching us about how to fill our pipe. Her words - verbatim - where the first thing you do is you make a friend. You then sell your friend a house.
Now go out there today and make 5 new friends.
Do not eat lunch alone.
I'll even help you out ...
If you are in Oklahoma City, drop me a comment here.
Great people skills will indeed get you far but your statement about introverts not being about to make it far in business or entrepreneurship is in fact terribly wrong. It probably has to do with your misconception of what introversion actually is. It generally means people that like to draw energy through introspection and need time alone to recharge.
In fact introverts often possess some of the best people skills because they make great listeners and are more likely to exhibit empathy.
Many great leaders and entrepreneurs are introverts, think Steve Jobs, Benjamin Franklin, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Eric Schidmt and David Geffen
Thanks for stopping by to comment John. I think both types can succeed. Just in my experience the person that can express themselves more seems to succeed more often than the quiet introvert. But you are right – the world is filled with successes of both types.