How can an executive with an INTJ personality learn how to become an outspoken leader at team meetings?

The INTJ leader has some innate qualities to become an outspoken leader – who gets results – at team meetings. My discovery that I was an INTJ came after a successful 7 years in sales and then earning a promotion to manager. Some may claim it was my sales background that supported my ability to speak up at team meetings, but I think inspiration set it when I discovered what it means to be an INTJ.

The easiest, quickest and surest way for those with an INTJ personality to be an outspoken leader at team meetings is to take your inherent strengths and direct them a bit differently. Let's consider both your definition of outspoken leader as well as some specific strengths an INTJ style has for a more assured outcome.

First, how do you define outspoken leader? That will be important before you take action. By some definitions being outspoken is expressing yourself freely and directly. What I call, being a straight shooter. Being a straight shooter means being clear, direct, and open to valuable discussion without the implication of being stuck on your ideas. Since it sounds like you are already in a leadership role, let's take the outspoken characteristic as your ability to influence people to work together for the good of the whole when you speak. 

It's difficult to narrow down the strengths of an INTJ personality! Yet with the focus of the question being what it is, I've selected what top three I believe will give you results you will see more immediately: confidence, ability to focus and listening. Let's take a look:

First, reframe what might be mistaken as aloofness into confidence. Don't you usually think before you speak? Your intuition knows that this is so true! But INTJs would acknowledge that we usually noodle something around, even sleep on it, before we speak. Knowing what you are talking about is foundational to self-confidence, so you have that advantage going into a meeting. State that, "I've thought this through," or something to that effect, both to yourself and to the team. It will boost your own belief that you have something you know about to express with the team.

Next, use your ability to focus by helping the team do the same. In my experience, my own confidence over time comes from knowing what I know – confidently, with experience, research or learning. Let your focus lead you to what you say and how you will say it.

In speaking, which takes place so often in our lives, if we add our listening which is natural for an INTJ, we actually satisfy a basic and sought after human need in the process: to be listened to. Have you ever heard about that most sought after Am radio station? MMFI-AM, make me feel important about myself? Guess what! When what your speech communicates that, people want to hear you be outspoken! So in your team meetings, use your listening to confirm that your knowledge is sound and the team will hear that in your understanding response.

Confidence, ability to focus, listening – just three strengths you can use to boost your speaking at a team meeting of any kind.  As INTJs, we have other strengths that upon reflection I know you will identify with - creativity, independent and big-picture thinking to mention a few. These will shine when you become that outspoken speaker.  In summary, when you focus on and use your strengths, you will find that extroverting behaviors, like being more outspoken, grow stronger.

Surprise people at your next meeting, make their heads turn and be a straight shooter. The INTJ outspoken leader you know you want to be is right within your reach.