96% of Leaders are Extraverts, yet It Was Two Introverts That Saved the Union

As the summer of 1864 came to a close, things were looking bleak for the Union Army in the U.S. Civil War. The Northern population was frustrated by the thousands of lives lost and a lack of progress against the South. Abraham Lincoln’s reelection prospects were thought to be “nil” and his newly promoted commander of the Union Army, the publicly silent Ulysses S. Grant, was gaining a reputation for wasting lives with little to show for it.¹

The pressure on Grant was enormous as the stage was set for a three-pronged effort to inflict a massive blow to the Confederate Army. William Sherman would storm through Georgia, Philip Sheridan through the Shenandoah Valley, and Grant would take on Robert E. Lee in Richmond. The success of each man relied heavily on the simultaneous success of the others. With such high stakes, it would have been expected for Grant to have a tight grasp on the actions of Sheridan and Sherman. Instead, Grant yielded to the plans of Sheridan and Sherman, and Lincoln took a hands off approach with Grant. To understand how this could possibly lead to success, we need to understand the differences between extraverted and introverted leaders.

Why is it that extraverts hold nearly every leadership position?

Research shows that one of the core attributes of extraversion is the enjoyment of attention.² Essentially, extraverts are more likely to be seen as experts and leaders by their peers and also enjoy the attention that comes with that, making it almost inevitable that they will find themselves in a leadership position. But the real question is, do extraverts make the best leaders?

Under extraverted leaders, subordinates may be less likely to take the risk of speaking up and offering their own solution out of fear that it could be held against them. This means that extroverted leaders could suppress the innovation that an organization needs to grow and thrive.

Introverts are more likely to welcome new ideas from their subordinates and are not afraid to let somebody else have the spotlight, especially when it will benefit the organization as a whole.

Does this mean that a leader is doomed to fail when not matched with the correct type of subordinates? No. As Organizational Psychologist Adam Grant has explained, we are not locked into one personality type.³ “Personality traits are distributed like a bell curve,” says Grant, meaning most of us fall close to the middle, and can easily fluctuate between extraverted and introverted depending on the situation.⁴

For example, Abraham Lincoln is largely known to have been an introvert yet he is also known for his impassioned speeches. This shows that he had the ability to act outside of his introverted character when necessary. However, always acting outside of one’s true character can come at a cost, such as burnout.

Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant knew that their introverted personalities were not a handicap, it simply required them to surround themselves with the right people. Lincoln was apprehensive about Grant taking all of his troops to Richmond, leaving Washington D.C. vulnerable to Confederate invasion; but he did not pull rank and order Grant to change strategy. Grant was fearful that William Sherman’s aggressive “March to the Sea” campaign in Georgia could allow the Confederates to recapture territory in Tennessee, but he gave his full support to Sherman’s plan. And finally, when Grant went to unveil his plan for Philip Sheridan to attack Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley…

Numbered Citations & Further Research

1. Chernow, R. (2017). Grant. New York, NY, Penguin Press
2. Grant, A., F. Gino, and D. Hofmann. "Stop Stealing the Spotlight: The Perils of Extraverted Leadership." European Business Review (May–June 2011): 29–31.
3. Grant, A. [Adam Grant]. (2013, Jan 31). Adam Grant on the Power of Leading Quietly. [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YC0G-ZA8gU
4. Grant, A. [Adam Grant]. (2013, Jan 31). Myers-Briggs: Love It or Hate It? (Part 1). [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drV-AphkFeg&t=637s