I’m an introvert. Go ahead. Debate me on it. Most don’t believe me. But it’s true. When I was a kid, my mom used to make me call to order pizza because I was so terrified of the phone (for those of you who call me, you’ll understand I’m still terrified). I was not popular in high school because I was so painfully shy I couldn’t talk to people (though most just thought I was stuck-up). And then Gary Kisner, the general manager for the Kansas City Fleishman-Hillard office (where I worked after I graduated), provided me with some great life lessons…and worked with me daily to pull me out of my shell.

I tell you all of this not so you’ll walk away from reading this in disbelief, but because there is an important lesson in how all of us operate, and manage, on a day-to-day basis. Yes, I’m an introvert with super high social skills, but an introvert, none-the-less. (more…)