Steven Claes

I messed up big time.

My heart sank as I watched Sarah, my star employee, walk out the door for the last time, some 10 years ago.

I thought I was a good boss. I was wrong.

Did you know 69% of people aren't excited about their job? 
(That's like 7 out of 10 of your friends hating Mondays!)

Why? Because bosses like me did not listen.

We controlled too much.

We didn't let people grow.

But I learned.

And now I'm sharing what works:

→ Give people big jobs to do. Trust them.
→ Share the glory when things go well.
→ Let everyone speak up. Listen hard.
→ Cheer for wins - even small ones!
→ Let them be the boss sometimes.
→ Help them learn new stuff.
→ Don't just nod and forget.
→ Use their ideas.

It's not just for work.

Everyone, this is for you too!

Let your kids try new things (safely). 
Let them grow.

I wish I knew this earlier. 
Sarah might still be here.

But it's not too late for you. 💚

What will you do today to make someone feel valued?
_________________________
♻️ Repost to avoid messing up with people
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture

You're more qualified than you think!

Ever see a job posting and think, “I can't do that“?

Think again!

Most job descriptions are wish lists, not must-haves.

Don't let them scare you off!

I've seen so many amazing people miss out on great jobs.

Why?

They thought they needed to be perfect.

And here's the kicker: If you're excited to learn and grow, you're already winning.

Don't worry about ticking every box.

Focus on what makes you special:

✅ DO:

• Show your unique skills
• Highlight your passion to learn
• Apply even if you're not 100% qualified

❌ DON'T:

• Wait for the “perfect“ job
• Assume you can't do it
• Let fear hold you back

My advice: Your growth mindset is your superpower in 2025! 💚

PS. What's the coolest thing you've learned on your own?

_________________________
♻️ Repost to help your friends
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture
Post ranking: #6 of 2024

🔥 Leadership Bombshell 🔥

Most leaders are doing this completely wrong.
(and I learned this the hard way)

Imagine losing your Best Talent in 60 seconds.

That's exactly what happens when you judge Faster than you Listen.

One wrong move. One quick judgment.

Your entire team's trust? Gone.

Leadership isn't about being Right.

It's about being Human.

The Top 1% of leaders know something revolutionary:

↳ Listening is your secret weapon.
↳ Judgment is your kryptonite.

Want to know how the world's most successful leaders create unstoppable teams?

↳ They Shut Up and Tune In.

Hard truth: Your ego kills more careers than any recession.

This isn't motivation.
This is leadership surgery.

Lead with your ears, not your mouth. 
Your team deserves to be heard. 💚

Who's brave enough to change?

Credit picture: Rob Dance

_________________________
♻️ Repost to lead with ears, not with your speech
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture

I used to feel alone in my career. Like nobody had my back.

Then I learned a secret.

It changed everything.

Surround yourself with people who fight for you when you're not there.

These are your true allies.

Your champions.

They defend your reputation.
They speak up for you in meetings.
They recommend you for opportunities.

It feels amazing to have people in your corner.

Like having superpowers!

✅ How to build your team of champions:
→ Keep your promises
→ Celebrate others' wins loudly
→ Be genuinely kind to everyone
→ Offer help without expecting anything back
→ Stand up for what's right, even when it's hard

❌ Don't:
→ Ignore people when you don't need them
→ Gossip or speak badly of others
→ Take credit for team efforts

I've seen this work wonders.

For me and countless others.

You don't have to be a boss to do this.

Anyone can.

Start today.

Be someone's champion.

Watch how it comes back to you.💚

PS. Who's got your back? Tag them below!

_______________________________
♻️ Repost for all those champions out there.
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture

A culture of “Know It All“ or “Show It All“?

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom means not tossing it into a fruit salad.

Here's a simple truth:

Knowing a lot doesn't require you to share it all. Just like some fruits don't belong in every dish, not every thought deserves airtime.

________________

What can you do to have a culture of great communication?

1️⃣ 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀:

Listen first to understand, not to respond.

Share not just because you can, but because it matters.

Speak with intention.

2️⃣ 𝗦𝘁𝗶𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀:

Avoid being the person who always stirs the pot by gossiping or spreading unverified information.

Instead, be the calming presence that others respect.

3️⃣ 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵:

When you do talk, make sure it’s helpful, corrective when necessary, and always timely.

Words are powerful — use them wisely.
________________

Let’s create ripples of wisdom, not waves of noise.

P.S.1. A magnificent video on the power of words in the comment section

P.S.2. Reflection time: When was the last moment you chose silence over speech and discovered it was the more powerful choice?

Video credit: Dewayne - #DryCreekWranglerSchool (check out his youtube channel)

Are you tired of feeling drained?

Toxic people zap your energy like bad WiFi.

It's time to cut the connection!

When you do, something amazing happens.

Your signal gets stronger. ⚡️

You feel lighter, happier, and more powerful.

I've been there. We all have.

Those people who always bring you down.

The ones who make you doubt yourself.

But here's the truth:

You deserve better. 💖

Leaders, this goes for you too!

A toxic team member can hurt everyone.

So, what can you do?

✅ Here are some quick tips:

↳ Set clear boundaries
↳ Focus on your own growth
↳ Spend time with positive people
↳ Speak up when someone crosses the line

❌ And what NOT to do:

↳ Don't feel guilty for putting yourself first
↳ Don't engage in their drama
↳ Don't try to change them

Believe me, you're the hero of your story.

Be brave. Make the change.

Watch your life transform.

You've got this! 💚

Happy weekend my LI friends.

PS. What's your experience with toxic people?

_________________________
♻️ Repost to cut the toxic connection.
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture

What if I told you the secret to an unstoppable team is something you can’t buy?

It's not what you think.

Hint: It's free, but most leaders never use it. 👇

Here's how to unlock your team's potential:

↳ Care about your people. Really care.
↳ Lead by example, not by orders.
↳ Listen more than you speak.

Your team isn't just a bunch of workers.
They're humans with dreams and fears.

Treat them like gold, and they'll move mountains for you.

And here's the kicker: it's not about free snacks or ping pong tables.

It's about building a culture of trust, respect, and growth.

Want to level up your leadership game? Try this:

✅ DO:
• Celebrate small wins loudly
• Give honest feedback with kindness
• Ask your team what they need to succeed

❌ DON'T:
• Micromanage (it kills creativity)
• Play favourites (it breeds resentment)
• Ignore mental health (it's as important as physical health)

Great leaders work FOR their team, not the other way around.

Your success is their success.
Their growth is your growth.

So, are you ready to build a culture where everyone wins?

Let's make work awesome together! 💚
_______________________
♻️ Repost to inspire others and build the right legacy
🔔 Follow Steven Claes for daily posts on Leadership - HR and Culture

The best leadership teams I've seen all had one thing in common.

Their meetings were designed differently.

A CHRO told me about a leadership team that spent an hour discussing "better collaboration."

The next morning they ran the exact same meeting again.

Same people.
Same format.
Same voices dominating.
Same silence from everyone else.

Nothing changed.

They called it a culture problem.

It wasn't.

Because culture is not what goes on the wall.

It's what the room rewards.

And most meetings reward speed, interruption, confidence and hierarchy.

Not reflection.
Not thinking.
Not better ideas.

That's why small format shifts matter.

A few that work immediately:

→ send the agenda 48h early
Better thinking starts before the room.

→ collect written input first
Some of the best ideas disappear in live discussion.

→ start with 3 minutes of silence
Before anyone speaks.

→ rotate who speaks first
Hierarchy shows up fast in speaking order.

→ end with one question
"What didn't get said?"

Keep this for your next team meeting.

Two questions I ask in almost every meeting now:

"How are we making decisions today?"

"How does this connect to the main decision?"

Quiet people contribute more when the format gives them space to think.

No budget.
No programme.
Just better design.

I put together a Quiet Leader Meeting Playbook with scripts, frameworks and meeting formats that give quieter voices room to lead.

https://lnkd.in/e7KAehq4

The room is the culture.

Design it better.

She helped everyone hit their deadlines.

They thought she didn't like the team.

For 2 months, a coworker invited her to Thursday lunches.

Every single time, she said no.

Not because she didn't care.

Because by Thursday, she'd already spent 30 hours being "on."

Meetings. Conversations. Performing presence.

So she ate at her desk.

Recharged in the quiet.

One day, the coworker stopped by:

"Everyone thinks you don't like us."

You can be all in and still be misread.

---

In 20 years as a CHRO, I've seen this story in every company.

Always the same shape.

The quiet ones doing the work.

The loud perception drowning it out.

I used to eat alone at my desk too.

Not because I was antisocial.

Because I was protecting what the afternoon needed from me.

One shift changed everything for her.

She stopped apologising.

She started explaining once. Clearly. Without apology.

She told the coworker what Thursday afternoons cost her.

Not as an excuse. As information.

"I work best when I protect that window. It's how I show up well for everyone else."

That one conversation changed the room.

Within 3 weeks, that coworker became one of her strongest advocates.

Not because she changed.

Because she stopped treating her own wiring like a liability.

We don't need to become louder.

We need to stop apologising for how we work.

Your working style isn't a flaw.

It's architecture.

---

I wrote the next steps down in a guide.

From Invisible to Unforgettable.

Link in comment below if you want it.

♻️ Repost if someone in your network needs to hear this today.

The best leadership teams I've seen all had one thing in common.

Their meetings were designed differently.

A CHRO told me about a leadership team that spent an hour discussing "better collaboration."

The next morning they ran the exact same meeting again.

Same people.

Same format.

Same voices dominating.

Same silence from everyone else.

Nothing changed.

They called it a culture problem.

It wasn't.

Because culture is not what goes on the wall.

It's what the room rewards.

And most meetings reward speed, interruption, confidence and hierarchy.

Not reflection.

Not thinking.

Not better ideas.

That's why small format shifts matter.

A few that work immediately:

→ send the agenda 48h early
Better thinking starts before the room.

→ collect written input first
Some of the best ideas disappear in live discussion.

→ start with 3 minutes of silence
Before anyone speaks.

→ rotate who speaks first
Hierarchy shows up fast in speaking order.

→ end with one question
"What didn't get said?"

Keep this for your next team meeting.

Two questions I ask in almost every meeting now:

"How are we making decisions today?"

"How does this connect to the main decision?"

Quiet people contribute more when the format gives them space to think.

No budget.

No programme.

Just better design.

I put together a Quiet Leader Meeting Playbook with scripts, frameworks and meeting formats that give quieter voices room to lead.

https://lnkd.in/e7KAehq4

The room is the culture.

Design it better.

Burnout isn't about working too hard.
It's about pretending too much.

For introverts, the real crisis is not the workload.
It's performing extroversion 40 hours a week.

7 signs you're burning out from the performance:

1️⃣ Hiding in your car between meetings.
→ This is not odd. It's survival mode.

2️⃣ "I'm fine!" when you're clearly not.
→ The mask stays on. Always.

3️⃣ Your best work happens after everyone leaves.
→ Because finally, you can stop performing.

4️⃣ Sunday night dread about people, not tasks.
→ Your nervous system already knows what Monday brings.

5️⃣ Social battery dies by Tuesday.
→ You're not weak. You're drained from acting all day.

6️⃣ Calls drain you more than the actual work.
→ It's not the content. It's the constant "on" that kills you.

7️⃣ Recovery takes the whole weekend.
→ Two days to recover from five is not a sustainable equation.

After 20 years in HR, I've watched this pattern destroy talented people.
Not because they weren't strong.
Because they were never given permission to stop pretending.

What helps (for you):
→ Block 10 minutes between meetings. Non-negotiable.
→ Replace one call with async. Protect your voice.
→ Batch high-contact tasks on specific days. Guard one deep-work block.
→ Stop apologizing for needing quiet to think.

What workplaces need to change:
→ Create meeting-free blocks for real work.
→ Default one weekly update to async instead of live.
→ Train managers to lead introverts: advance agendas, written input options.
→ Design offices with actual quiet spaces, not just open-plan buzz.

Your energy is real.
Your limits are legitimate.
Your need for space is not weakness.
It's wiring.

Which sign hit closest to home?

♻️ Repost to help introverts burning out in silence.

💌 Want to thrive without burning out: https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

The best idea in the room rarely wins.
The loudest one does.

She delivered the sharpest analysis in the room.

Nobody used it.

Not because it was wrong.

Because she spoke third,
after the two loudest voices had already moved on.

I've watched this for 20 years as a CHRO.
The data backs it up:

Harvard Business School studied 1,800+ employees.

Supervisors consistently rated extroverts as more passionate.
Even when the passion was identical.

Passion isn't measured.
It's performed.

The best thinkers:
→ prepare deeply
→ question what everyone else assumes
→ enter the conversation after decisions are already forming

And watch worse ideas win.

Not because they lack impact.

Because the room moves on without them.

That's not a people problem.

That's an architecture problem.

Try this in your next meeting:
• Ask: "Whose thinking haven't we heard yet?"
• Invite the quietest voices first
• Capture their ideas before debate starts

What's one idea you've seen lose to a louder one?

-----
If that hit, I built something for you.
Not to make you louder.
To make sure the room finally hears you.
Free at https://lnkd.in/eUw4frik
-----
♻️ Repost for someone who needs to know the room was the problem, not them.
➕ Follow me (Steven Claes) for more on introvert leadership.

The quietest person on the team

was the most valuable.

She exceeded every target.

Stayed calm under pressure.

Saved a client relationship nobody else could recover.

But the louder colleague

got promoted again.

I've watched this happen for 20 years.

Quiet people often carry the work.

Loud people often carry the visibility.

And most companies reward visibility first.

That's why so many introverts get stuck.

Not because they lack value.

Because the workplace often mistakes visibility for competence.

So the people doing the deepest work

quietly watch louder people move faster.

Over time, that changes careers.

Confidence drops.

Resentment builds.

And talented people start believing they are the problem.

They're not.

Nobody taught them how to make their value visible without becoming performers.

So I built the system nobody handed me.

Not confidence hacks.

Not fake charisma.

A practical system for becoming visible while staying yourself.

Inside the system:

→ How to protect your energy without disappearing
→ How to build visibility quietly
→ The trust-building advantages introverts already have
→ How strong contributors actually move up

Because careers are not built on volume.

They're built on visible value.

And most introverts already have the value.

I call it:

"From Invisible to Unforgettable."

Link in the comments for the quiet high performers who need it.

Someone gets interrupted halfway through a sentence.
Someone says "I'm not sure" and suddenly looks less competent.
Someone challenges the room and becomes "difficult".

People remember these moments.

Especially introverts.

So they start calculating before they contribute.

"Will this sound stupid?"
"Will this create tension?"
"Is this worth defending?"

And in unhealthy cultures, the loudest people shape the room.

Everyone else adapts around them.

Eventually, teams lose things that matter:

Nuance.
Curiosity.
Honest disagreement.

The smartest thoughts disappear before they're spoken.

Psychological safety is not a loud room.

It's a room where people stop rehearsing consequences before they speak.

That's when quiet people start contributing freely.

And when that happens, the quality of thinking inside the team changes completely.
_____
I write for ambitious introverts who want to build influence, careers and businesses without becoming the loudest person in the room.
Newsletter link is in my profile.

The reading list they never gave you.
Because the people who built the curriculum were never quiet enough to need it.

These ten books put words to what I'd always felt.
And gave me tools to finally use it.

Not advice to "speak up more."
Not tips to fake energy I don't have.

Real frameworks for thinking deeply, listening carefully, and building a career at your own pace.

PS. I also wrote one for this shelf - From Invisible to Unforgettable. Free guide in the comments for anyone who wants it.

💾 Save this list before your next commute.

A manager once told me I was "too soft" to lead.

I had just spent an hour with an employee going through a divorce.
Rearranged her deadlines.
Gave her a week of flexibility before he even knew about it.

He said I was setting a bad precedent.

That was 15 years ago.

I don't know where she is today.
But I know she stayed. She delivered. She made it through.

He got fired two years later for creating a toxic team culture.

Kindness is not weakness.

I've watched leaders confuse fear with respect.
Aggression with strength.
Coldness with professionalism.

All three destroy teams slowly.

The leaders who built lasting performance weren't the toughest.

They were the ones who:

Remembered what people were going through outside of work.
Delivered hard truths without making it personal.
Held the standard and held space at the same time.

Kindness doesn't mean avoiding difficult conversations.
It means having them without destroying someone in the process.

It doesn't mean lowering the bar.
It means helping people clear it.

The teams I've seen collapse weren't led by kind leaders.
They were led by people who mistook cruelty for clarity.

Your people will forget the quarterly targets.

They'll remember how you treated them when life got hard.

Who was the kindest leader you ever worked for?

Enjoy your Sunday in all kindness.

♻️ Repost if you believe kindness and high standards can coexist

One meeting almost convinced her she wasn't leadership material.

She wasn't slow.
She was processing.

The moment was simple:

"Let's go around the room."
"What do you think?"

No warning. No prep. No time to think.

At 35, in a board prep meeting, she froze.

Not because she didn't know the answer.
Because her brain was still putting the pieces together.

Afterwards, someone told her:

"You need to be faster if you want a seat at this table."

For years, she believed them.

So she forced herself into quick-fire thinking. Real-time debates. Public processing.

Her insights didn't improve.

Her anxiety exploded.

Within a year, she was one more "quick question" away from burnout.

As a CHRO, I've seen this pattern everywhere.

Brilliant introverts get labelled:

"Too slow."
"Not strategic enough."
"Not leadership material."

When the real issue is this:

We confuse fast answers with smart answers.

What changed for her:

She stopped treating instant responses as the price of credibility.

She started saying:
"I'll send a considered response after this meeting."

She blocked prep time before high-stakes conversations.

She turned recurring meetings into written updates.

Her value didn't drop.

It doubled.

The problem was never her speed.
It was a system that rewarded reaction over reflection.

You're not slow.
You're thorough.

You don't need to think faster.
You need rooms that respect how you think.

Number 4 almost took her out.

Which one on this list has cost you the most?

♻️ Repost for the introverts who were never too slow

Quiet work gets forgotten first.

That's why introverts often get passed over.

I watched this happen for 20 years.

Quiet high performers doing exceptional work...

And losing opportunities to people who were simply easier to remember.

The people who moved up usually had proof attached to their name.

Not:

"She's amazing."

But:

"She fixed the client escalation."

"He streamlined the onboarding process."

"She spotted the risk before launch."

Specific wins travel.

Vague praise disappears.

And yet most introverts are told:

"Speak up more."

Most career decisions happen in rooms you're not in.

Which means people rely on memory.

And memory rarely rewards quiet work.

So here's the simplest visibility system I know:

10 minutes every Friday.

Send a short update:

--------------------------------
Subject: Quick weekly update

One thing completed
One thing improved
One thing worth noting
--------------------------------

That's it.

No performing.

No pretending to be louder than you are.

Just consistent evidence that your work exists.

Do that for six months and people stop guessing what you contribute.

Because what's written tends to outlast what's remembered.

I turned this into a simple weekly system quiet high performers can use without becoming performative.

Free guide is in the comments.

If you're an ambitious introvert trying to build a career without becoming someone you're not, you'll probably enjoy my content.

What's one win you had recently that barely got noticed?

Most interviews are not testing skills.
They are testing energy.

And that disadvantages a lot of introverts.

In my early days, one woman I hired looked exceptional on paper. Sharp, calm and easy to trust.

She got the role.

Six months later, she was exhausted before lunch every single day.
Not because the work was difficult.
No, because the environment punished the way she naturally worked.

(yes, yes, I should have known).

A job interview is not just them assessing you. It is really your chance to assess the room. A room you may spend 40+ hours a week inside.

I am a firm believer that most companies reveal their culture the moment you ask the right questions.

That is why these 7 questions matter:

1. How do decisions get made here?
2. How many meetings happen each week?
3. How do brainstorming sessions work?
4. Who actually gets recognised here?
5. Is silence comfortable here?
6. Is there space for deep work?
7. How is feedback delivered?

Most introverts spend interviews trying to be chosen.
Very few stop to ask whether the environment deserves them.

You are not looking for any job.
You are looking for the right room.
Because the wrong room can drain years from all of us who were never the problem to begin with.

I learned that the hard way too.

I added something in the comments for introverts who are trying to protect their energy at work without pretending to be someone else.

Save this before you say yes to the wrong room.

I told myself I was an introvert.

Really, I was afraid.

Ten years ago, I got invited to a huge company event.

Hundreds of people.

I said no.

I told myself:

“It’s not really my thing.”
“I do better in smaller groups.”
“Bad timing.”

All technically true.

None of them were the truth.

The truth was simpler:

I was afraid of being seen.

For years, I confused self-protection with self-avoidance.

A lot of people do.

Introversion is about energy.

Fear is about exposure.

One leaves you restored.

The other leaves you relieved.

That distinction changed my career.

Now when I’m about to say no to something, I ask myself one question:

“Am I protecting my energy…
or protecting my ego?”

Save this for your next ‘no’

Happy New Year to the ones who did not make a highlight reel.

The ones who didn't launch the side hustle.
The ones who skipped the grind to protect their peace.
The ones who chose silence over sprints.

After 20 years in HR, I saw the same pattern every January 1.

Loud success gets rewarded.
Quiet progress gets overlooked.

If you didn't broadcast your wins, they didn't count.
If you took your time, you were "slow."

But here is what performance reviews still don't measure:

↳ The anxiety you carried into every meeting.
↳ The boundaries that protected your energy.
↳ The one hard conversation you finally had.
↳ The quiet leadership that changed someone's year.

If you ended 2025 exhausted instead of celebrated, this is for you.

You don't need a "New Year, New You."
You need more you.

↳ More aligned decisions.
↳ More intentional no's.
↳ More places that fit your nervous system.

In 2026, the goal is not to be louder.
It is to be truer.

You are not behind.
You are playing a game that was never built for you.

This year, build your own.

Happy New Year.

You as you are is enough to build on.

♻️ Know an introvert who needs this? Pass it on.

They drained her battery to zero.
Then blamed her for not running.

She left at 5:30 PM every day.

On time. Completely empty.

Her manager's feedback?
"She needs to show more drive."

She had 9 back-to-back meetings.
Zero recovery time.

As a CHRO, I've had this conversation more times than I can count.

Different names. Different industries. Same story.

And every time, they thought something was wrong with them.

There wasn't.

Introverts don't have less energy.
They have a different energy equation.

Social input drains them faster.
Solitude refuels them faster.

The open office took 20%.
The surprise all-hands took another 30%.
The "let's go around the room" finished the rest.

That's not a motivation problem.

That's a design problem.

And the design almost never gets fixed.

For organisations:
Design for focus, not constant interaction.

Fewer meetings.
Replace status calls with written updates.
Quiet spaces where interruptions aren't constant.
Focus time that isn't negotiable.

For individuals:
Start tracking energy, not just time.

For 4 weeks, ask daily:

What drained me?
What fueled me?
What felt neutral?

The pattern shows up fast.

Then act on it.

Block recovery time before your calendar takes it.
Protect deep work like it matters.
Say no to meetings that don't need you.

I built a free Daily Success Toolkit to help with this.
Link in the first comment.

Stop fixing your motivation.
Start fixing your conditions.

The work was never the problem.
The room was.

We are not broken.
We just run on different fuel.

What's one thing you removed from your calendar that gave you energy back?

♻️ Repost for the introverts who were never broken

Managers have 15 minutes to discuss 30 people.

That's how careers get decided.

And for quiet introverts, that room is rarely fair.

The names remembered first often win.

Not always the best performer.

The most known performer.

As a CHRO, I've sat in hundreds of talent review meetings.

I watched brilliant quiet employees get overlooked for years.

Not because they lacked talent.
Because most talent systems reward visibility.

That is not a performance problem.

It's an organisational problem first.
And a positioning problem second.

Organisations have a responsibility to see beyond volume.
Introverts have a responsibility to learn positioning.

And positioning can be learned.

Over 20 years, the quiet professionals who got promoted did 4 things well:

→ They made their work visible before review season
→ They built 3–5 real advocates across the business
→ They documented wins others could repeat
→ They stayed authentic instead of acting loud

You do not need to be louder.

You need to be known.

I wrote a free guide called From Invisible to Unforgettable.

It shows the exact system.

Link in comments.

What's one win you delivered this year that never made it into a review?

➕ Follow me (Steven Claes) for more on introvert leadership.

Stop trying to be a louder leader.

In 20 years as CHRO, I've watched brilliant introverts burn out.
They tried being more visible.
More charismatic.
More loud.

When teams take initiative, introverted leaders drive 28% higher productivity.

Not despite being quiet.
Because of it.

Your quiet leadership is not the problem.
The cult of charisma is.

⬇️ Swipe through to see how quiet leaders actually lead.

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Introverts often have an advantage in negotiations.
Many don't realise it.

If you're introverted, you've probably thought of the perfect response on the way home.

Or watched someone more outspoken take control and wondered if you should be more like them.

I used to think the same thing.

Then I started paying closer attention to people who consistently handled negotiations well.

What stood out wasn't their personality. It was their approach.

They arrived prepared. They knew what they wanted, what a reasonable outcome looked like, and where they could be flexible.

They didn't rush their answers. They weren't uncomfortable when conversations slowed down.

Research shows negotiators who pause before responding often secure better outcomes than those who reply immediately.

That pause isn't weakness. It's processing.

I noticed something else too.

Some of the strongest negotiators weren't doing their best work while talking.

Their advantage came from what happened before the conversation and after it.

They had thought things through beforehand. And when necessary, they followed up later with points they didn't want to rush through in the moment.

Many of the behaviours that helped these people negotiate effectively were things introverts already do naturally.

That's why I think a lot of introverts underestimate themselves when it comes to negotiations.

They focus on what drains them and overlook the strengths they bring into the room.

The skills you thought were holding you back might be the ones that give you leverage.

Have you ever walked away from a negotiation wishing you'd said less?

Follow me (Steven Claes) for weekly insights on how to be an ambitious introvert without losing authenticity: https://lnkd.in/e2Yn259g

The person who talked most wasn't the person who added the most value.
But they're usually the one who gets credit.

Two people did most of the work in a meeting.

One looked like the leader. The other looked quiet.

He was good in the room.

Quick thoughts, fast reactions, happy to jump in before his ideas were fully formed.

She was different.

She'd already thought through the risks before the meeting started. She saw a dependency everyone else missed and asked the question that made everyone stop for a second.

Then the room moved on.

The meeting moved fast. The first opinions became the default opinions.

And the people who spoke first shaped the direction.

So the team changed 3 things:

→ The agenda went out the day before
→ People added thoughts in writing before the meeting started
→ Before closing, someone always asked: "What didn't get said?"

Small changes.

But suddenly the people doing the deepest thinking started shaping decisions.

The surprising part wasn't that they contributed more.

The faster talkers made better decisions too because they weren't reacting to half the information anymore.

They were building on complete context.

Most teams don't have a talent problem.

They have a meeting design problem.

I put together a Quiet Leader Meeting Playbook.
It's in the first comment if you want to try it in your next team meeting.

Introverts usually feel it first.
But they're rarely the only ones affected.

The quietest person on my team slowly stopped contributing.

At first, nobody treated it as a problem.

Meeting comments became shorter.
Replies slowed down.
By Thursday afternoon, they looked exhausted.

People assumed the role had become too demanding.

I saw something different.

The entire day had become fragmented.

There was barely any uninterrupted time left.
Meetings ran into each other all day.
Slack messages arrived every few minutes.

At one point, even writing a short email reply seemed to take visible effort.

Over time, the change became obvious.

Decisions that used to come easily started taking longer.
Small details received excessive attention.
Conversations required visible effort.

I've seen versions of this happen in companies that reward constant responsiveness.

Eventually the strain spreads across the entire team.

Some managers protect time to think with the same seriousness they protect deadlines.

That changes the quality of work more than people expect.

Has your team ever mistaken exhaustion for under-performance?

The CEO said it went well. I spent the next three hours wondering whether I'd sounded too confident.

For years, I thought this was professionalism.

It wasn't.

It was self-editing.

And it quietly became one of the most expensive habits in my career.

Because your manager doesn't build a picture of who you are.

They build a picture of the version you repeatedly show them.

This week's newsletter explores the introvert habit that quietly costs promotions.

She got the job.
Sat in the car park afterwards.
And cried.

Not from joy.
From exhaustion.

She'd performed the confidence.
Showed the energy.
Took up the space.

And still wondered why it never felt like enough.

Most career advice starts with an assumption:
You need to change.

Speak up more.
Network more.
Be more visible.
Take up more space.

If you've spent years following that advice, you know how it ends.
Not with confidence.
With a version of yourself that works hard to look like someone else.

The advice isn't wrong because you're an introvert.
It's wrong because it was written for someone else.

Your depth. Your precision. Your ability to observe and think before you speak.
These aren't deficits to overcome.
They're the reason you're good at what you do.

That's what The A+ Introvert is for.

The first Newsletter edition is live now on LinkedIn.
If it resonates, you'll know within 30 seconds.

Every Saturday. Written for the way you actually work.

This is for you. ⁠

https://lnkd.in/eT7aFHSy

♻️ Repost if you believe introverts deserve advice built for them, not a louder version of themselves.

🔖 Save to come back and subscribe - new edition every Saturday.

Networking like an extrovert nearly cost me everything.

More events.
More coffee chats.
More small talk with people I'd never see again.

I thought more connections meant more opportunities.

I was wrong.

What I actually built was exhaustion.
And a contact list full of people I barely remembered.

When I finally dropped that belief, everything changed.

I stopped chasing quantity.
Started protecting my energy.
Invested in fewer people, went way deeper with each one.

The networking events I skipped?
Cost me nothing.

The shallow connections I let go?
Made room for the ones I actually need.

After 20 years as a CHRO, I've watched too many introverts burn out trying to play the extrovert game.

The ones who thrive?

They stop forcing what drains them.
They build their network around how they actually work best.

This weekend, try this:

→ Text one person who genuinely energises you. No agenda. Just checking in.
→ Say no to one thing you were going to push yourself through.
→ Spend 10 minutes in stillness. Introverts don't recharge in crowds. They recharge in quiet.

Letting go of the wrong approach is not giving up.
It's making space for the right one.

What's one thing you're letting go of this weekend?

💚 Happy Friday, friends.

♻️ Repost if you believe success should never require self-erasure.

💌 I write the A+ Introvert Newsletter. Weekly insights for introverts who lead quietly and build deeply. No fluff, ever.→https://lnkd.in/e2Yn259g

We promote the loudest voice.
Then wonder why teams burn out.

I've spent 20 years in leadership.
And I've watched brilliant introverts get overlooked again and again.

They didn't fall short.
They quietly pulled ahead.

Harvard and Wharton research tells us something most companies ignore. Introverted leaders drive:
➜ 28% higher productivity
➜ 84% more engagement
➜ 50% lower turnover

So why do we still mistake quiet for weak?

Because we've built systems that reward volume over value.
Visibility over results.
Performance over substance.

This carousel breaks down:
➜ What the data really says
➜ Why introverts make elite leaders
➜ How to lead with quiet confidence

The quiet ones in your meeting today?

They're not disengaged.
They're processing at a level most leaders never reach.

💾 Save this for your next leadership conversation.
♻️ Share if your culture still mistakes noise for leadership.

Introverts don't need fixing.
Your workplace culture does.

For 20 years, I watched companies try to "improve" their introverted employees.

They sent them to presentation skills workshops.
They placed them in open office layouts.
They nudged them toward noisy networking events.

But they missed what really needed changing.

Meeting norms that reward the loudest voice.
Brainstorms that drown out deep thinkers.
"Collaboration" that looks more like constant interruption.

When I was 32, a VP pulled me aside.
"You're too quiet. That'll hurt your career."

So I tried to become louder.
More visible.
More like everyone else.

Eventually I realized something important.

I wasn't the problem.
The environment was.

Today I'm a CHRO.
Still quiet.
Still thriving.

Not because I changed who I am,
but because I focused on changing the system.

If you're doing this:
❌ Telling introverts to speak up more
❌ Requiring constant collaboration
❌ Assuming quiet means disengaged
❌ Defining culture through happy hours
❌ Rewarding visibility over value

Try this instead:
✅ Send agendas in advance so they can prepare
✅ Start meetings with quiet time for written input
✅ Offer multiple ways to contribute, not just talking
✅ Create quiet zones for focused work
✅ Recognize the impact, not just who talks the most

The most innovative companies don't try to fix introverts.
They build environments where introverts can shine.

Quiet-friendly cultures boost productivity.
Written brainstorming surfaces better ideas.
And your next big idea might be sitting silently in the corner.

The companies losing top talent right now?
They're still trying to make introverts louder.

The ones winning?
They're creating spaces where every style can thrive.

If someone seems too quiet,
maybe the system is too noisy.

Stop trying to change them.
Start changing what's actually not working.

Because a culture that works for introverts
works better for everyone.

💬 What's one small change that could make your workplace more inclusive for quieter thinkers?

♻️ Share if you believe quiet leadership deserves more respect

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