Get All Access for $5/mo

The Skill Introverts Need to Master to Succeed at Work, According to a CEO The workplace isn't made for introverts, and many great employees tend to go unnoticed if they don't speak up.

By Sarah Jackson

Key Takeaways

  • The workplace isn't always accommodating of introverts, and Deb Liu knows it.
  • Liu, CEO of Ancestry and an ex-VP at Facebook, recently shared advice for introverts at work.
  • Liu says to realize "you are your own best marketer" and "you have to actually share what you do."
Deb Liu via Business Insider
Ancestry CEO Deb Liu says it's crucial for introverts to realize

This article originally appeared on Business Insider.

The workplace is, in many ways, not made for introverts. One introverted CEO has some advice on how she climbed the ranks regardless.

Deb Liu has been CEO of genealogy company Ancestry.com since 2021 and was formerly a senior executive at Facebook, where she created Facebook Marketplace. She shared her tips for success at work for the more reserved among us in an episode of "Lenny's Podcast" last week.

Liu recalled a great product manager on a previous team who was overlooked when it was time for promotions because "she was not good at broadcasting or explaining what she does."

"So much of what product and just general leadership is is not just doing the work, it's not just having the product, it's having great product marketing to go with it," Liu said. "You make a light bulb but you're selling light. I really think about how she was making an amazing number of light bulbs, she was lighting up all the houses, but she was not marketing the light."

Liu added that while it's "absolutely not" fair that great employees might go unnoticed in these cases, "that's the world we live in," and introverts can choose to adapt to the circumstances.

"First, I think, for the individual is realizing that you are your own best marketer," she advised. "You have to actually share what you do. If a great product is out in the world but no one is told about it, did it exist? And so one of the things that's very important is really to get that product marketing."

Liu went on to say that leaders of an organization should look for ways to more evenly recognize everyone's contributions.

"We should change our workplaces so everyone can be successful," she said. "As more introverts get into leadership, they need to actually change the world to make more space for people like them as well."

Liu shared one way she's tried to do this in her own work.

"In my leadership teams over the last several years we had this thing where we all vote, but we vote offline in a document and we put a number in and then we put our comments in," she said. "And that way everyone has an equal voice in this document. And then we talk about it. Usually, of course, the extroverts speak first, but everyone has a vote, and we can actually see what people's points of view are."

In Liu's own career, she said she thought of speaking up as a skill she could learn, even if it didn't come naturally to her, at first.

"It's not, 'Well I'm uncomfortable.' I hear this a lot where people say, 'Well, you wouldn't understand, I'm an introvert.' I'm like, 'So was I.' But instead, I just said, 'Okay, this is a necessary skill, and it's a learnable skill.' You don't have to be comfortable with it, you don't have to love it, but you just have to do it."

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Science & Technology

5 Rule-Bending AI Hacks to Make Your Mornings More Productive and Profitable

By 2025, AI will transform productivity by streamlining workflows and cutting costs. Major companies like Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI are leading the way, advancing AI into "Phase 3," where tools act as digital assistants. Discover 5 AI hacks to boost efficiency and redefine your daily routine.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Marketing

5 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Giving a Presentation

Are you tired of enduring dull presentations? Over the years, I have compiled a list of common presentation mistakes and how to avoid them. Here are my top five tips.

Science & Technology

5 Automation Strategies Every Small Business Should Follow

It's time we make IT automation work for us: streamline processes, boost efficiency and drive growth with the right tools and strategy.

Business News

Former Steve Jobs Intern Says This Is How He Would Have Approached AI

The former intern is now the CEO of AI and data company DataStax.