Ep 172. Karl Moore: We Are All Ambiverts

Ep 172. Karl Moore: We Are All Ambiverts

“Whether you’re an introvert or an extravert, sometimes you have to act like the other type if you’re going to be effective as a leader n today’s rapidly evolving world”

Karl Moore

Karl Moore is an Associate Professor on the management faculty of McGill University. Prior to his academic career Dr. Moore worked for eleven years in sales and marketing management positions with IBM and Hitachi. Before McGill, he taught at Oxford University for five years. Since 2014, Karl has hosted the CEO Series, a weekly program on Bellmedia’s C-J-A-D, where he interviews leaders one-on-one. He has been blogging for Forbes for eight years.

In this episode, Stew and Karl discuss his forthcoming book, We’re All Ambiverts Now. They explore the tendencies we have to express either introversion or extroversion and how, in order to be effective as leaders, we have to learn to sometimes act in a way that’s inconsistent with our natural inclinations. But to do so can be exhausting, so it’s useful to take account of the costs of acting like an extrovert if you’re an introvert, and vice versa, and to then do something to rejuvenate and restore yourself following such episodes in your daily life.

Here then is an invitation, a challenge, for you, once you’ve listened to the conversation. If you’re an extrovert, what introvert-like action might you try taking that you expect would help you be more effective either at work or at home? And, if you’re an introvert, what extravert-like action might you try taking that you expect would help you be more effective at work or at home? What do you discover, especially about how it feels to try to act in a way that’s counter to your natural tendency and the impact of your doing so?

Write to Stew Friedman to let him know, at friedman@wharton.upenn.edu, or connect with him on LinkedIn. While you’re at it, share your thoughts with Stew on this episode and your ideas for people you’d like to hear on future shows.

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