Living In Liminal Space: The Series
The impact of Covid-19 has turned our world upside down.
For extroverts, this is disconcerting. For introverts, it’s refreshing.
We lived in an extroverted culture. But, now, with people staying and working from home, many introverts are experiencing the space and pace they crave. For them, self-isolating has always been a life-saving lifestyle because they re-create their energy for themselves, by themselves.
As a result, introverts tend to be highly focused, observant, creative, loyal, empathetic and strategic. According to educational experts, they are “a minority in the regular population but a majority in the gifted population.". These talents and skills are critical to forging future innovation and success.
Sadly, their capacity to maximise their talents are derailed in our extroverted world of meetings, group projects, open plan offices and after-work drinks. These types of work experiences drain introverts daily, driving them into their solitary patterns and making it difficult to contribute their value to the world.
Fortunately, in times like Covid-19, introverts can thrive. During the bubonic plague, for example, isolated and introverted Isaac Newton witnessed the apple fall and devised his groundbreaking theory of gravity. Imagine what future-defining discoveries could be developing right now.
Also, in this time of Covid-19, extroverts have a rare opportunity to experience an introvert-friendy environment. They can come to appreciate what introverts take for granted, ancient traditions teach, and science promotes - time out is time well-spent.
Self-isolating during Covid-19 protects us as well as everyone else around us. Regulating our extrovert culture protects extroverts as well as introverts to build a better future. Together, we have the capability to create an ‘”omnivert” environment; one that works for both styles or any style in between because we are all some of both.
How can you use your style consciousness to fashion strategies and experiment with ways of working to create a future where all styles thrive?
♦ What strategies can you start, stop or revise to create an “omnivert” environment so introverts as well as extroverts maximise the energy they need to be their best?
♦ What benefits will these actions derive?
What do you think? Do you have questions? You can share them in the Comments here or find practical strategies for living in an upside down world by joining our conversation on LinkedIn.
Together we can learn to leverage the liminal space
we are all now experiencing.