Quiet: How to Harness the Strengths of Introverts to Change How We Work, Lead, and Innovate

Susan Cain is the author of the 2012 instant New York Times bestseller Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. A former Wall Street lawyer, and a self-described introvert, Cain spent 7 years researching and writing Quiet, documenting the 20th century rise of an extroverted American “culture of celebrity” that displaced a quieter, more introverted “culture of character.” She argues that the dominance of the “Extrovert Ideal,” with its emphasis on charisma, personality, confidence and attractiveness, has marginalized and devalued the more nuanced, analytic, thoughtful, and reflective contributions of introverts, to the detriment of productivity, creativity, and leadership.

In the book, Cain offers sensitive advice for teachers and parents of introverts about honoring the valuable character and personality traits of introverts. She advocates nurturing a child’s natural inclination by strategically handling the introvert’s high reactivity to novelty. Cain decries the “New Groupthink,” the glorification of teamwork, brainstorming, and an insistence on face-to-face collaboration that has spread from the corporate world down through universities all the way to elementary schools.

Introverts make up a third to half of the workforce, yet modern leadership strategy mainly consists of asking them to act like extroverts, a serious waste of time and energy. How can you structure your organization so that the best ideas dominate, rather than those of the most vocal and assertive people? What do introverts know about creativity that the rest of us should learn? Cain will draw on her original research and the latest in neuroscience and psychology to describe the best way to develop leaders, manage teams, make smart hires, and stimulate innovation.

Cain’s writing has appeared in The New York Times; O, The Oprah Magazine; The Atlantic; Time.com; and PsychologyToday.com. Her 2012 TED talk has been viewed over three million times. She has appeared on CBS This Morning, NPR’s All Things Considered, and NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show, and her work has been featured on the cover of TIME and in The New Yorker, Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, Wired, Fast Company, Real Simple, Fortune, Forbes, USA Today, The Washington Post, CNN, Slate.com, and many other publications.

Cain is an honors graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.