As an engineer, how often did your managers create an atmosphere on the job that made it hard for you to do your work?
I’m sure there were times you were deep into a task, making lots of progress, only for a manager to message you and ask for an immediate reply. Or perhaps they pushed for more meetings than you could handle.
In my experience, extroverted managers tend to exhibit these behaviors more than introverted ones. Unfortunately, most extroverts just aren’t aware of introverts’ needs, creating environments difficult for them to work in.
I say this with confidence because I experienced this as an introverted engineer myself.
As a current or future introverted engineering manager (EM), you can prevent this. You understand your introverted engineers’ needs and can create the kind of workplace they will appreciate and thrive in. And you can do this in a number of ways.
1 - Communicating their needs to extroverted project managers
I’ve written before about the differences between EMs and project managers (PMs) in terms of their roles. But there’s another important difference not discussed as much: most project managers I know are extroverts.
This is important, as it gives them the energy they need to communicate and coordinate team members around tasks. The work would be too exhausting for most introverts, so it’s good there are people better suited for the role.
But this means they have a blind spot when it comes to the introverted experience.
They may interpret introverts’ attempts to minimize communication as avoidance. Or chase after engineers, not realizing they’re in a deep work state. This can frustrate engineers who don’t understand why they’re not left alone to do their job.
Extroverted managers need someone to draw their attention to the needs of the introverts on your team. And you’re in a great position to give them that insight since you know what it’s like for the engineers as well as the managers.
So, keep an eye out for situations where PMs and engineers misunderstand each other as extroverts and introverts. When you see it happen, initiate a conversation with your colleague explaining why the introverted engineer is doing what they’re doing and how to move forward in an inclusive way.
2 - Balancing “loading time” with external team needs
Video games, even many modern ones, require time to load. This is true when:
- Booting them up
- Installing an update
- Starting a new game or continuing an old one
- And so on
In short, you can’t just pick a game and start immediately playing.
The same is true for many of your introverted engineers – they require “loading time” when they start a new task. If that loading time is interrupted, it becomes hard to focus. Especially if they’re trying to enter a deep work state. I’m sure you can remember the same from your days as an introverted engineer.
But, as you know, this can conflict with the needs of others. Designers check in to see if they need to make any changes to their mockups. Project managers want to review that everyone’s on target with milestones. People in these roles often pivot from one task to another very quickly and expect engineers to do the same.
As an introverted EM and former engineer, you know how much these interruptions frustrate and hinder your team. Others won’t have this insight, but you can use yours to develop a plan to balance the needs of others with your engineers’.
Here are some examples to get you started:
- Assign uninterrupted time slots to various engineers at different times – this way, you’ll always have a few on call while others have time to focus
- Allow for flex- and remote work arrangements for at least part of the week, which helps them get work done outside the workplace
- Tell team members to ask questions close to break times rather than in the middle of a shift
Keep in mind you don’t have to do all of these at once – try one or two, see if they work, and adjust as needed.
And if it seems like a lot of extra work, know that, ideally, you won’t be implementing these practices yourself. The goal is to inspire your engineers to create or lobby for these conditions themselves. That, and you can coach other managers to keep engineer needs in mind as well.
3 - Reflecting instead of reacting
My girlfriend is terrified of spiders. If she sees one at home, she starts screaming and insists I help.
I’ll come to the rescue, but not in the way she’s looking for. Instead of killing the spider, I take a step back and think about how to get it outside. This takes time and prep – I need to find a piece of paper and a glass to capture it, which I eventually do.
As an introverted EM, I take the same approach, but some managers swoop in and take immediate action when there’s a problem. And sometimes, this is effective. After all, killing the spider is the fastest way to solve the issue, but capturing and moving it outside is the most beneficial for everyone.
This is, in my opinion, another reason introverts like you excel in the EM role. They’re more likely to sit back and think before acting, finding the best solution that a faster reaction would miss.
What’s more, the introverts on your team are watching. They’re also analyzing the situation and may be frustrated by quick solutions that don’t address the roots of the problem. By being more deliberate and taking your time to work through the issue, you can come up with a solution that creates a better environment for everyone.
I also recognize many companies don’t welcome this instinct to reflect. Many prefer fast solutions. However, if you’re allowed, I encourage you to embrace your gift and show the long-term value of a more thoughtful approach.
4 - Advocating for alternatives to large-group meetings
A lot of introverts enjoy many aspects of engineering work. It’s great to get lost in a stimulating and challenging set of tasks. When needed, they work in pairs or small groups to come up with solutions, forming bonds in the process.
And they often feel uncomfortable when taken out of these pairs or small groups and asked to communicate in larger ones. Unfortunately, this is what many extroverted managers tend to do.
Meetings are the prime suspect here. And I’ve heard many of my colleagues justify them for the following three reasons:
- Reaching consensus and making decisions together
- Sharing and receiving updates collectively
- Building a sense of community
While I agree with the third point, as an introverted EM I’m more critical of the first two.
I think decision-making by committee is extremely inefficient as compared to involving the people most impacted by a decision. And asynchronous communication is usually more effective than spending an hour listening to a sequence of updates. Besides, meetings often get off-topic and drain introverts’ social batteries.
As an introverted EM, this issue is more apparent to you than an extroverted one. You can advocate for your introverted engineers by trying to limit group meetings or advocating for one-on-ones or other less overwhelming social contact instead.
5 – Respecting their independence
Many introverts I know have an independent streak. This can result from perfectionism, a deep mastery of their field, or even just from being used to working on tasks by themselves. You know this from your own days as an introverted engineer.
This is great, but it has to be combined with keeping everyone coordinated and their work managed. This is the manager’s job, and if the managers are extroverts, their efforts can make introverted engineers feel stifled or even micromanaged.
As an introverted EM, you understand both sides.
I heard a colleague say something once that stuck with me. He addresses this dilemma by framing it in terms of trust and transparency.
He starts by automatically trusting an engineer to do things their way. This only changes if the engineer underdelivers. After, he asks for higher transparency: more check-ins and a stronger guiding hand.
When the situation is resolved and trust restored, he gives the engineer more slack again. What’s important is that engineers don’t just understand what is expected of them but also why. Importantly, if the engineer wants to return to that space of trust, there’s a clear roadmap to get there.
The short version: create your ideal workplace
A healthy team has a combination of personality traits, introversion and extroversion included. But extroverts can tend to dominate workplace culture, potentially negatively affecting your introverted engineers. So, you need to step up as an introverted EM and create an environment they can thrive in.
Here’s how you can use your introversion and experience as an engineer to do just that:
- Communicating introverts’ needs to extroverted managers: in particular, you’ll need to do this with project managers, since many are extroverts
- Balancing “loading time” with external team needs: they need time to work and can’t switch from task to task as well as others can, so develop a plan respecting the space you know they need to work
- Reflecting instead of reacting: in other words, follow your usual inclination to think and then act instead of taking immediate action like other managers might
- Advocating for alternatives to large-group meetings: offer solutions such as one-on-ones and async communication
- Respecting their independence: balance trusting your engineers with their need for working on their own with knowing what’s going on
In short, your introversion is not a barrier to working well in a team. Rather, it’s a gift to all the other introverts who need a specific kind of environment to thrive and do their best work. So, use your unique traits to balance the workplace and create a welcoming environment for introverts.
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Originally published on Medium.com
Content in this blog post by Alex Ponomarev is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
