Those who are extraverted gain and gather their energies from being around others. In the business and social setting, it often has much success tied to it. Extraverts like to interact with others, often be at the centre of attention and story-telling and typically have aspects of both enthusiasm as well s assertiveness. Often - but not always - this can be a sign of a good leader, as people like being around extraverts
However, they can slip into narcissism more easily than those less extraverted (remember that the key to all of this is excessiveness of anything being something to keep an eye on and this goes with all major personality traits). The assertiveness of extraverts can make them good decision makers and they often scale towards higher levels of overall positive emotion, which is nice for others to be around.
We also need to remember that high assertiveness can also come along with higher impulsivity and that this can often lead to some decisions and actions being taken that can or may later be regretful.
Compared with introverts, extraverts may also have more difficulty sticking to their tasks which require more solitary efforts (i.e. think sitting in a room or office needing to get lots of work done that does not involve other people, phone calls and interactions, all of which often drive the extravert).
Obtaining gratification from outside the self can also lead to large risk taking and this can be associated with more dangerous behaviours (think of excessive alcohol or drug seeking behaviours).
All in all though, extraverted people can flourish personally and in business because they do well in the department of soft skills, which are often essential in any business development.
The introverts also deserve a shout-out here too, whilst often shy by nature they can be reflective and able to make more calculated decisions. These traits of the introvert are great for the process of thinking, learning from mistakes and potentially being slower to anger and being less reactive to external situations as they arise. So we can see from these descriptions about the importance of a variety of personalities making up the workplace and the environments around us.
Yours In Good Health,
Dr Troy Walker
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