Across many workplaces and ordinary rooms, a long-standing assumption holds that quiet people must imitate louder ones to rise. Jevonya Allen, writing for CNBC in May 2023, offers a different path: success comes less from performing extroversion than from knowing where one's energy goes and shaping surroundings to match it. Her view turns on self-understanding, on choosing contributions like written thought over spotlight moments, and on the quiet courage of asking for those arrangements. Whether institutions learn to make room for such varied ways of showing up remains an open question.
The Introvert's Edge: Successful Introverts Design Their Environments Instead of Faking Extroversion
Across many workplaces and ordinary rooms, a long-standing assumption holds that quiet people must imitate louder ones to rise. Jevonya Allen, writing for CNBC in May 2023, offers a different path: success comes less from performing extroversion than from knowing where one's energy goes and shaping surroundings to match it. Her view turns on self-understanding, on choosing contributions like written thought over spotlight moments, and on the quiet courage of asking for those arrangements. Whether institutions learn to make room for such varied ways of showing up remains an open question.
Jevonya Allen, author of "The Introvert's Guide to Becoming a Master Networker," makes a case that cuts against a familiar script. The skill that separates successful introverts, she says, is not an act of extroversion. It is the habit of avoiding situations that demand it and building surroundings where they can contribute in their own way.
The usual advice tells introverts to copy the loud, hand-raising, room-commanding type. Allen sees it differently. She suggests that someone who prefers smaller settings might think twice before taking a role at a large corporation, and that someone on a team expecting constant verbal input might ask to share thoughts in writing. The hardest part, she admits, can be opting out without making anyone uncomfortable.
At work, her method starts with a private talk with a manager. Come prepared with specific examples, a clear picture of the contributions you would rather make, and an honest explanation of how the change serves everyone. In her view, understanding how you show up is the first step toward shaping an environment that lets you thrive.
The same logic extends to social life. Allen points to former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who told Vogue in 2013 that gatherings unsettled her shy nature. To get through rooms full of strangers, Mayer would check her watch and promise herself she could not leave until a set time, and only then could she go if it was still miserable.
For those unsure where to begin, Allen recommends personality assessments, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to gauge introversion and a DiSC profile to understand communication styles. She is careful to note that both have faced serious scientific criticism, treating the results as useful information rather than final verdicts. Whether workplaces will readily accept the written contributions and quieter formats she describes is still to be seen.
Jevonya Allen, author of "The Introvert's Guide to Becoming a Master Networker," says the skill that separates successful introverts from everyone else is not a performance of extroversion. It is the habit of avoiding the situations that demand one, and building an environment where they can contribute in ways that suit them.
Allen, who describes herself as an introvert, is pushing against a familiar assumption: that introverts have to copy the stereotypical extrovert to get ahead. That version of success means speaking up loudly, always raising a hand and commanding a room. Allen's argument is that the most successful introverts get ahead by steering clear of those settings.
She offers two examples. If you know you prefer smaller settings, she says, you might not want to apply for a job at a large corporation. And if you are on a team that expects you to speak up, you might ask your boss whether you can submit your thoughts in writing instead.
The idea, she says, applies in almost any workplace and in most ordinary situations. The hardest part may be opting out of extrovert-friendly situations without bothering anyone else.
At work, Allen's suggestion is a private conversation with your manager. Come prepared with clear examples of the situations you would like to avoid, how you would like to contribute instead, and why the change will make both of you happier and more productive. Preparing those details ahead of time, she says, can make all the difference. Her reasoning: introverts first have to understand how they show up, and then they can tailor their environment to fit. That, she says, is what helps them thrive.
The same approach can help in social situations. Allen points to Marissa Mayer, the former Yahoo CEO, who told Vogue in 2013 that events and social gatherings frayed her nerves and clashed with her naturally shy demeanor. Before taking the Yahoo job in 2012, which began a controversial five-year run leading the company, Mayer developed a tactic to keep herself from fleeing rooms full of strangers. She would look at her watch and tell herself she could not leave until a set time, and that if she was still having a terrible time at that point, she could go.
For people unsure how to adapt other parts of their lives, Allen recommends taking some online personality tests. She suggests the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator for gauging how introverted you are, and a DiSC assessment for working out how best to communicate with the people around you.
The scientific validity of both tests has been hotly contested over the years. Allen's framing is modest: the results are informational, data points that can help you choose a path forward, not verdicts. What remains to be seen is how readily workplaces accommodate the written contributions and smaller settings she describes.
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