Introversion and Leadership: My Army Experience

Many people have asked me how I ever made it through the Army with me being so introvert. I joined the Army at the age of 18 and by the time I turned 21 I was put in charge of Soldiers. Honestly I do not know how I was able to stand in front of my Soldiers and give them briefings on our mission. At times I had to stand in front of formation and lead our morning physical training in front of the whole company. I look back now and wonder that maybe I did not think about it much because it was an obligation to do it. In the military you are given this role to be a leader and what kind of leader would I be if I showed weakness to something as simple as physical training. Maybe I did not the feel pressure to do it because I was not exchanging words and carrying conversations, I was up front giving commands.

During the summer I made a goal for myself which was to get out and visit friends. My son spends every summer in Philadelphia with his father so I am kid-free. To some parents this is what they look forward to

But when it came time to actually have conversations with someone I would draw a blank and was not able to speak. I always thought that maybe it was a sign of being shy but later I started noticing that it just was not in my nature to be outspoken. I have made improvements in stepping out of my comfort level and overcoming my fears of being around people. I mostly do it because I do not want to keep my son from growing and expanding his ability to do more. I realize that going out and socializing might feel as if you have been there for days, but I know that it will only last a few hours so I tend to just fake my smile and feel beyond uncomfortable with the end result that I get to see my girlfriend enjoy herself. But one thing I will say that even though those two people drive me insane at times, I would not want to trade it for anything