Seeking Advice: How Can I Become More Outgoing as a Factory HR Professional?

My name is Subhadip. I have completed an MBA in Core HR. After that, I joined a jute manufacturing company as a management trainee for one year. Recently, I started working at a liquor factory as a Factory HR. How can I develop my character to become more extroverted?

Dear Shubhadip, Being introverted or extroverted is a natural personality trait. Therefore, there is no need to change it forcefully. There is no evidence that shows extroverts have an edge over introverts. You may be introverted, but do not be inscrutable.

Scientific Validation of Introversion

Secondly, have you taken any scientific psychological test that showed you are introverted? Who has verified the validity, reliability, and credibility of the test?

Feedback and Networking Skills

Thirdly, if someone has given feedback that you are introverted, then you may develop better networking skills. Leaders demonstrate outspokenness. Their communication is characterized by directness in manner or speech. Therefore, be communicative. When I recommend you to be communicative, please note that I do not mean to say you need to improve communication skills. You may have good communication skills, but what is the use of those skills if a person does not use them? Communicativeness demands being proactive and responding to communication in a timely manner.

Meaningful Communication

Fourthly, please do not mistake outspokenness with talkativeness. Chatterboxes can be introverts too. What we communicate should be meaningful, to the point, and with supporting examples. To make your communication meaningful, improve your listening skills as well as questioning skills. In fact, if you ask questions, people will be forced to reply. Please note that people like those who listen to them! Listening to others does not mean accepting another person's views. Do not contradict or come up with a counter-argument instantly. Put your opposing views without offending the other party.

Avoiding Terseness

The next thing is not being stingy with words. Many people prefer to communicate tersely. However, terseness mars the spirit of their communication.

Enhancing Confidence Through Reading

Lastly, people become introverted because they have nothing to say. Therefore, improve your reading. Read editorials and center-page essays of the newspaper. Discuss the contents with your friends and family members. This will improve your confidence.

All the best!

Dinesh Divekar

Dear colleague, first of all, stop thinking that you are an introvert. Increase your one-to-one contacts with fellow workers, listen to them, and speak on work-related matters. Attend social events and participate wholeheartedly. Make new friends and converse in the language you are comfortable with. Attend a professional public speaking course, which will immensely help you.

Don't try to label yourself as an introvert or extrovert. Simply think differently and act.

Regards, Vinayak Nagarkar HR Consultant

Further to the above comments and observations, I cannot help feeling that there is an underlying issue here. We are all, to some degree, introverts and extroverts; it all depends on the situation. For example, one may be an introvert at work and an extrovert at home, or vice versa. Therefore, perhaps the question you need to ask yourself is in which situation you are an introvert, and then apply the advice given by Dinesh and Vinayak above.

I hope my comments help.

Regards,
Harsh

Introversion and Extroversion in HR

On a continuum scale, introverts and extroverts are at the extreme ends. Introverts generally are self-centered, not good mixers, are afraid of talking because of the imaginary fear of what others would think, and don't open up easily. If an HR person displays this behavior, it will certainly greatly affect their functioning unless they make a serious effort to change themselves.

Again, it is not a black and white situation, and there are shades of grey in between and also a degree of difference between two individuals. The real issue is if the above or similar behavioral traits are possessed by an HR person, regardless of whatever label we give it, this paradigm needs to be changed.

Regards, Vinayak Nagarkar HR Consultant