Noemi Kis✨

Founder, CEO

Serial Entrepreneur / AI enthusiast / TEDx speaker

Hey there! 👋

I write about ideas for building a microbusiness.

I used this model to build a 7-figure company and grow a community of 160K+ on LinkedIn. Now, I help non-techie execs and founders do the same.

Get the 50 high margin business ideas FREE when you join.

Join here: https://stan.store/NoemiKis

Brands & sponsorship inquiries: hello@noemikis.com

AquaQuote is a global digital marketplace for buying and selling industrial water treatment products in the aftermarket space.  Brands have an opportunity to digitize their catalog and offer their products to a wider audience, while end users can easily find and purchase products via a self-service dashboard.  We focus on fast and excellent customer service and sourcing products from the best suppliers with the shortest lead times. 

Society taught us to value time over expertise.

But we’ve been measuring value all wrong.

We’ve always been taught:

→ Count the hours, not the skill
→ Pay for the process, not the outcome
→ Fast usually means carelessly done

I used to have a similar mindset before I got into business. 

That if something didn't take hours, it wasn't valuable.

But when I actually started hiring people who were both good AND fast at their job, I realized how wrong I was.

I once hired a developer who fixed a problem in 20 minutes that I'd been stuck on for 3 weeks.

And those 20 minutes weren’t just 20 minutes.

They were years of him:

→ Breaking things
→ Fixing them
→ Breaking them again

…until he could spot the issue before I even finished explaining it.

I wasn't paying for 20 minutes. I was paying for the 10 years it took him to solve my problem that fast.

So next time you hire an expert:

1. Pay for the outcome, not the hours. 
2. Ask about problems solved, not time taken.
3. Value the years of expertise, not the speed of delivery

When someone solves your problem in 30 minutes, you're not paying for 30 minutes.

You're paying for every hour they invested before you showed up.

You owe them for those years, not the minutes.

Found this valuable? Please reshare with your network! ♻️ 

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Microbusiness Ideas / AI enthusiast / TEDx speaker

Most people avoid risk because they overestimate the risk.

They don't start that business.
They don't apply for their dream job.
They don't ask out someone they're interested in.

But here's what they miss:

The downside is temporary discomfort.
The upside can change your entire life.

Think about it:

You apply for your dream job and get rejected?
→ You feel bad for a week. Then you move on.

But if you get it?  
→ You build a career you actually want.

You ask someone out and they say no?
→ Awkward for a day. So what.

But if they say yes?
→ You could meet your future partner. Build a life together.

You start a business and it fails?
→ You learn and try again smarter.

But if it works?
→ Financial freedom. Purpose that makes you excited to wake up.

This is clear:

Worst case: temporary pain, valuable lessons, you try again.
Best case: life-changing results.

Most risks aren't risky at all.

They're asymmetric bets with minimal downside and unlimited upside.

So why not just go for it.

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The hardest part of growing isn't the work.

It's leaving people behind on the way.

I've had friends criticize me for hiring a coach. 
Make judgements about "always working." 
Comment about me "changing".

The criticism is almost never coming from people ahead of you.

It's coming from people who feel left behind.

Sometimes you outgrow people and life takes you in different directions.  

You know who your people are when:

• They cheer you on when you win.
• They push you to keep going when you want to quit
• They celebrate your growth instead of feeling threatened by it.

Protect those relationships with everything you've got.

And the ones who judge you for trying?

Wish them well. And keep moving.

Your growth is a gift, and your true friends will celebrate it with you.

♻️ Share this if you needed to hear it today.

Follow me Noemi Kis✨for daily growth tips.

Hard pill to swallow:

The room you're in determines the person you become.

Most people think growth is about working harder.

But growth isn't about effort. It's about environment.

→ Sit with people who gossip, you'll start gossiping
→ Sit with people who complain, you'll start complaining
→ Sit with people who dream small, you'll shrink your vision

But sit with people who:

→ Talk about ideas, not people
→ Discuss growth, not drama
→ Build futures, not excuses

And suddenly, you're not the same person.

The conversations you're in shape the thoughts you think.

The thoughts you think shape the actions you take.

The actions you take shape the life you build.

Most people are stuck because they're in the wrong rooms. I used to be same 10 years ago.

Talking about:

→ Who did what
→ What went wrong
→ Why things are unfair
→ Who's to blame

Meanwhile, the people actually winning are in rooms talking about:

→ What's possible
→ How to execute
→ Where to invest
→ What to build next

Same 24 hours.

Different conversations.

Different outcomes.

But you can't grow in rooms that talk small.

You can't build big surrounded by people who think small.

So if you want to level up, here's what to do:

1/ Audit your rooms:

↳ Where do you spend most of your time?
↳ What are the dominant conversations?
↳ Are people building or just talking?

2/ Exit the wrong rooms:

↳ Stop showing up where gossip is the currency
↳ Leave group chats that drain your energy
↳ Distance yourself from people who only discuss problems

3/ Find bigger tables:

↳ Join communities where your goals are normal
↳ Invest in rooms where growth is the baseline
↳ Surround yourself with people 5 steps ahead

Your network isn't just who you know.

It's who you become by knowing them.

So stop sitting at tables that make you smaller.

Find the room that talks about God, universe, growth, money, dreams, and goals.

Not people.

That's where your next level lives.

Found this valuable? Please reshare with your network! ♻️ 

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Taking things personally is exhausting.

For years, I did it constantly.

Someone didn't text me back? I assumed they were mad at me.

This is called cognitive distortion where your brain convinces you of something that isn't true.

Here's what helps to break the pattern:

1. Label your story

↳ It's not the event that upsets you. It's the story you tell yourself about it.

2. Questioning isn't rejection

↳ When someone challenges you, your ego translates it as an attack. Reframe it.

3. Use the 2-second buffer

↳ Give yourself space between someone's reaction and your response.

4. Focus on what you control

↳ You can't control if someone replies. You can control your next move.

Their reaction is about their world.

Not yours.

♻️ Repost if this hit home.

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Underrated growth hack:

Make mistakes at full speed.

That's where you learn to drive.

Here's what separates people who grow from people who stall:

→ Fast learners make 100 mistakes in a year
→ Slow learners make 10 mistakes in a year
→ Non-starters make zero mistakes in a year

Guess who's furthest ahead in 3 years?

The one who failed the most.

Because every mistake is a lesson you can't unlearn.

Every failure is data you didn't have before.

Every crash teaches you what the theory never could.

Think about it:

→ You don't learn sales from reading. You learn from the 50 calls that went wrong.
→ You don't learn leadership from books. You learn from managing badly and adjusting.
→ You don't learn business from courses. You learn from launching, failing, and trying again.

The pattern is always the same:

Do the thing → Fail → Learn → Do it better → Repeat

But most people get stuck at step one.

Because they're terrified of looking stupid.

Of being wrong.

Of failing publicly.

So they wait.

They prepare.

They research.

They plan the perfect approach.

And while they're perfecting their strategy in the parked car...

Someone else already crashed twice, rebuilt, and is miles ahead.

So if you want to grow faster, here's what to do:

1/ Set a failure quota:
↳ Commit to 10 failures this month
↳ Track each one and what it taught you
↳ Celebrate hitting your failure goal

2/ Build a rapid testing system:
↳ Launch weekly, not monthly
↳ Get feedback within 48 hours
↳ Iterate immediately based on what broke

3/ Stop researching, start doing:
↳ Give yourself 1 week max to plan
↳ Ship the messy version
↳ Learn from real users, not hypothetical ones

The businesses that scale fastest aren't the ones with perfect launches.

They're the ones that launched 10 times while everyone else was still planning version one.

The creators who grow aren't the ones with flawless content.

They're the ones who posted 100 times while others were perfecting their first post.

The people who win aren't the ones who never failed.

They're the ones who failed fastest and learned the most.

So stop waiting for the perfect moment.

Stop trying to avoid mistakes.

Start making them at full speed.

Because you can't learn to drive in a parked car.

You learn by crashing a few times and figuring out how not to.

That's the game.

Play it fast.

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It's easy to confuse motion with direction.

You're on a path. It's moving fast. You feel productive. 

You are going somewhere.

But you never stopped to check if it's taking you where you actually want to go.

People stay in jobs that drain them because they're "making progress" in their career. They're getting promotions, raises, new titles.

It feels like progress.

People stay in relationships that don't fit because they've invested so much time. 

They're building a life together, checking boxes, moving forward.

But movement isn't the same as progress.

Progress means you're getting closer to where you want to be. 

Movement just means you're going somewhere.

The hardest thing to do is stop a moving train.

It feels like failure. It feels like starting over. It feels like admitting you were wrong.

But staying on the wrong path doesn't get easier. It just takes you further from where you need to be.

I've done this. Stayed in situations way too long because I confused momentum with meaning.

The real question isn't "Am I moving?"
It's "Am I moving toward something I actually want?"

Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is to switch direction.

P.S. Save this for later.

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I'm 12 years in to my business, and I'm not "successful" by traditional standards.

I don't wake up at 5am.
I don't have 50 employees.
I don't feel like I've made it.
I don't know my 5-year plan.
I don't have a $10M in revenue.
I don't have a morning routine.
I don't always focus on the right things.
I don't have a fancy office... I work from home.

My business and life isn't what I imagined.

But in many ways, it's better.

Because I am...

The most peaceful I've ever been.
I take vacations without guilt.
I built something that runs without me.

This is your reminder:

Build the business & life YOU want.
Not what others expect you should want.

♻️ Repost if this resonates.

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Bamboo can grow 35 inches in a single day.

But before that, it spends years underground.

Just building roots.

This is exactly how growth works in life.

---

Phase 1: The Invisible Work

You're showing up. Doing the reps. Taking action.

But nothing is happening above the surface.

Just tiny roots spreading underground where no one can see.

Most people quit here.

---

Phase 2: The Small Wins

A sprout breaks through.

You land a client. A new opportunity opens up.

Not many people notice yet. 

But you keep watering. Keep doing the work.

---

Phase 3: Explosive Growth

The big client comes through.
The investor calls back.
The opportunity you've been building toward finally lands.

People call it "overnight success."

They didn't see the time underground.

They didn't see the tiny roots.

They only see the "overnight success"

Growth is never linear.

It's invisible, then slow, then all at once.

If you're in the underground phase right now, keep building roots.

The surface will come.

♻️ Repost if this resonates

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The Japanese have this art called kintsugi.

When a ceramic bowl breaks, they don't throw it away.

They repair it with gold-laced lacquer, turning the cracks into something more beautiful than the original.

The breaks become the most striking part.

I think about the people I love most. It's never their perfection that draws me in.

It's their quirks. 
The way they stumble over words when they're nervous.
How they laugh too loud at their own jokes.

The scars from things that broke them.

That's what makes them real.
That's what makes them human.

We spend so much energy trying to hide our cracks.

Pretending we have it all together.
Smoothing over the rough edges.
Presenting this polished version of ourselves that doesn't actually exist.

But your imperfections are your story.

↳ A business failing publicly
↳ Burnout that forces you to stop everything
↳ Realizing you wasted years on the wrong path

The good that comes out of that:

• Clarity on what actually matters
• Confidence because you survived it
• A story that inspires others
  
Those aren't flaws to hide.

They're best part.


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A top life skill is getting along with people you don't like.

And most people never develop it.

Stanford professor Robert Sutton studied this for years.

His finding: dealing with difficult people drains your cognitive resources.

That's energy you could use for creative problem solving. 

You can't avoid difficult people. But you can learn to work with them.

Here's how to actually do it:

1. Find common ground in shared goals

↳ You don't need to like someone to work well together
↳ Focus on the outcome, not the personality

2. Separate personality from competence

↳ Someone can be annoying and still be good at their job
↳ Respect their skills even if you don't enjoy their company

3. Focus on what you can learn

↳ Every difficult person teaches you something
↳ Communication. Patience. Conflict resolution.

4. Keep things professional without being fake

↳ You don't have to pretend to be best friends
↳ Just be respectful and direct

Your network isn't just the people you like.
It's the people who can help you grow.

And growth rarely happens without conflict.

And that's how you level up.

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What changed my life wasn't waiting for the perfect moment.

It was starting messy.  Getting uncomfortable.

Here's what I've learned:

The gym is uncomfortable.
↳ But so is being out of breath climbing stairs.

Asking for a raise is uncomfortable.
↳ But so is watching others get promoted.

Starting a business is uncomfortable.
↳ But so is wondering "what if" for 20 years.

Having hard conversations is uncomfortable.
↳ But so is a relationship built on things left unsaid.

Just show up. Made mistakes. Learn. Repeat.

You're going to suck at first.  
Everyone does.

But here's the thing: that awkward phase where you feel like an imposter is where the growth happens.

You're learning faster than you ever have before.

The first 90 days are brutal.
You'll want to quit. 
You'll wonder if you're cut out for this.

Keep going anyway.

Picture yourself December 2026.

You've built something real. 
You've become someone different.

You're not the person who "wanted to" anymore. 
You're the person who did.

2026 is your year if you decide it is.

------

Save this for later.

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Connector of Talent and Success 💼 | Empowering Businesses to Thrive through People | Culture Growth Strategist | Coach | Writer | HR leader | #1 LinkedIn Belgium | Top #150 LinkedIn 🌍

Who I help: Ambitious introverts and people-first companies

Problems: Visibility without burnout, quiet leadership, culture that enables deep work

Outcomes: Promotions, role transitions, retention, high-trust cultures

STRATEGIC HR LEADER AND COACH WITH HANDS-ON APPROACH AIMING FOR THE BEST EMPLOYEE/BUSINESS EXPERIENCE - INTROVERT ADVOCATE

International HR Executive passionate about the link between employee experience and business dynamics. Combining a strong focus on strategic thinking and planning with a structured and factual hands-on approach. A positive well connected team coach with a natural sense of empowering team members in a spirit of challenge, learning and mutual recognition. Sound decision making capabilities based on critical reflections within companies focusing on innovation, change, digital transformation and learning.

A. Group HR Director Alter Pharma (200 FTE - BE/IRL/US) – private equity backed firm defining & implementing HR strategy (from strategy to operations) including definition of mission/vision/strategy & values.
B. Global HR Business Partner BU Kerley international/Tessenderlo Group (+/-300 employees - 11 countries) developing/transforming key HR processes (talent resource planning, talent acquisition, performance management, competency management, learning, reward,..) - HR project lead new factory Rouen, France. 
C. Global HR Executive SWIFT (+/- 3.000 employees in +25 countries) transforming/coaching business and HR into new ways of (digital) working/thinking to improve the employee and business experience 
D. Global Head of Reward Tessenderlo Group (+/- 5.000 employees in +25 countries) - strategic development/transformation reward strategy
E. Development new holistic performance management framework for Tessenderlo Group, including full implementation recognition stream.
F. HR Project Manager : move of the Chiquita EME Headquarters from Belgium to Switzerland (social plan negotiations, c&b setup, recruitment, mobility, new policy/process design,...)

Professional coaching certification Better Minds at Work               2018 - 2019
Centre for Creative Leadership - senior leadership program           Q1-2 2018
Management Development Programme Vlerick (17 days)		  2010 - 2011
Strategic Compensation & Benefits Management, Vlerick 		  2007      
Master degree in Law&Taxation, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven    1997 - 1998

Steven Claes

She had the highest retention in the company.
They passed her over twice.

The feedback? "Needs more presence in leadership meetings."

But when I dug deeper:
→ Her teams stayed longer than anyone else's
→ Her projects delivered early, consistently
→ Her cross-functional relationships were the strongest in the division

She wasn't lacking presence. The organization hadn't learned to recognize her kind of leadership yet.

I've watched this play out for 20 years as a CHRO.

The quiet leader gets labeled "not a team player." The thoughtful contributor gets told to "speak up more." The one who needs processing time gets dinged for lacking executive presence.

Meanwhile, they're the ones noticing what everyone else missed. Thinking three steps ahead while others are still talking through step one. Building relationships that actually matter instead of collecting business cards.

We're not shy. We're not stuck up.
We're listening. Observing. Taking it in before we speak.

And if an introvert opens up to you? Know that trust was carefully given.

Your way of showing up isn't wrong. It's just different, and often exactly what your team needs.

📩 Daily success as an introvert? These are the techniques I swear by: 
https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

🔁 Know an underrated introvert? Repost this to remind them they’re not alone.

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CHRO | Introvert Advocate | Career Growth for Ambitious Introverts | HR Leadership Coach | Writer | Newsletter: The A+ Introvert (60% Open Rate)

Louise Corbin

They said I was too much.
Turns out they were too limited.

A brilliant CHRO told me recently: "Steven, I've spent 15 years toning down my opinions, holding back, pretending shallow conversations were enough when depth is all I've ever craved."

I understood immediately.

I've lived it too.

Softened my directness to seem "diplomatic."
Smoothed my edges to appear "approachable."
Pretended small talk satisfied me when I was hungry for real connection.

And I ended up feeling like an outsider.

Because I WAS an outsider in places where I'd shrunk myself just to belong.

The pond people have labeled me:

→ Too quiet (meaning: you're hard to read, and that unsettles me)
→ Too direct (meaning: you skip the performance, and I can't handle that)
→ Too intense (meaning: you make me think, and I'd rather not)
→ Too ambitious the "wrong way" (meaning: you chase impact, not just visibility)

But two decades as a CHRO taught me this: Every time you shrink yourself, you train people to expect less from you.

When you're constantly making yourself smaller:
→ You attract relationships that require you to stay small
→ You master the art of being less than you are
→ You construct a career that fits everyone but you

I once believed the introvert advantage meant networking like an extrovert. Speaking louder. Being more visible.

I was wrong.

The true advantage? Recognizing that your need for substance IS your value.

When I stopped apologizing for choosing depth over surface, everything shifted.

1️⃣ You stop dimming your light so others feel comfortable in their mediocrity.

2️⃣ You surround yourself with people who see your intensity as integrity.

3️⃣ You discover your tribe. The ones who view thoughtfulness as strength, not a flaw to fix.

The teams needing someone to navigate complexity? They relied on me.
The cultures hungry for authentic leadership? They found me.

But only because I showed up fully. Not the diluted version.

Not everyone can handle you at full strength.
That's not yours to fix.

The people meant for you? They'll swim out to meet you in deep water, even if it scares them.

The rest will stay on shore, insisting the ocean is "too much."

Let them.

If you're an ocean, stop shrinking yourself into a pond.

If you're built for depth, you don't have a career problem.
You have a boundary problem.

The moment you address that, everything transforms.

As 2026 starts: Which boundary will you finally protect in the year ahead?

💾 Save this & ♻️ share if you're an ocean refusing to become a pond

📩 Join Weekly depth in The A+Introvert Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e7xQPNtn

Quiet does not mean weak.
It means intentional. And that changes everything.

For 20 years, I heard the same advice:
"Speak up more."
"Be more visible."
"Get more executive presence."

I tried. Really tried.
But forcing myself to be louder never made me a better leader.
It just made me exhausted.

So I stopped fighting my wiring.

Today, I'm a CHRO.
Still introverted. Still leading.

And here's what I've learned from two decades in the C-suite:
Introvert isn't a limitation. It's a leadership advantage.

Every letter in INTROVERT reflects a strength I lead with and build teams around.
(See image)

My favorite? “T is for Trusted.”
Because trust doesn’t come from speaking the most.
It comes from meaning what you say.

The best teams I've built were never led by the loudest voice in the room.
They were led by the one people knew they could count on

So if you've spent years wondering why you don't fit the mold of a "typical leader"...
Maybe the mold was never made for you.

Stop fixing what was never broken.
Start building with the strengths already in you.

💾 Save it if you're done trying to lead like someone else.
🔁 Repost if you're quiet is your power.

📬 Want some of my go-to introvert tips I swear by:
→ https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

Your workplace was not designed for you.

Not if you're an introvert.
And no one wants to talk about it.

You have no idea what storms people are walking through. But for introverts, the workplace often adds to the storm instead of offering shelter.

Every day you're fighting a quiet battle.
Meetings that drain you.
Open plans that scatter your focus.
The constant pressure to "be more visible."

You just want to do good work without exhausting yourself.

The truth is most introverts are walking through storms alone. And no one sees it.
➟ They deliver excellent work, then watch someone louder get the credit
➟ Back-to-back meetings leave zero time to recover
➟ They hear "speak up more" when their strength is thoughtful contribution

Ping pong tables and pizza Fridays?
Nice. But they do not fix what's actually draining you.

"Be more visible" and "network more"?
That advice ignores how introverts actually build influence.

What introverts need to do their best work:
✅ Leaders who value depth over volume
✅ Recognition for written work, not just who speaks loudest in meetings
✅ Meeting-free blocks for actual focus time
✅ Permission to recharge without feeling guilty about it
✅ Career paths that do not require constant performance
✅ Time for thoughtful processing before decisions
✅ Cultures where reflection counts as much as quick reaction

This is what makes introverts want to stay.
A workplace that honours different strengths.
That recognises quiet confidence.
Where people succeed without burning out by Tuesday.

What is ONE thing your workplace does (or does not do) that makes the biggest difference for you?

🔁 Repost this if you want to support introverts in your network.
📩 My weekly A+Introvert Newsletter → see profile 👆 or featured section

Matthew Smith

Years ago, I watched HR let someone go for being "too quiet."
I was once that quiet person too.

The official reasoning?
"Lacks energy."
"Not aligned with our culture."

But after twenty years leading teams, I've learned what genuine enthusiasm actually looks like:

Arrives prepared.
Delivers excellent work.
Communicates with clarity.
Elevates others.

That's what deserves recognition.

Yet too many organizations still reward:
• Volume over substance
• Reaction over reflection
• Perception over results

I've been in those performance conversations.
I've read the carefully worded feedback.
I've watched exceptional people walk away because they weren't loud enough.

Excellence doesn't require a spotlight.
Impact doesn't demand a stage.
Results outweigh small talk every time.

We get it wrong when we:
• Label quiet as a weakness
• Treat extroversion as the culture standard
• Mistake personality for capability

Genuine enthusiasm shows up as:
✓ Reliability
✓ Craftsmanship
✓ Steady presence
✓ Measurable impact

The strongest teams don't pick between energy and depth.
They embrace both.

They need you. Whether quiet or loud.

Stop penalizing quiet excellence.
Start tracking what actually matters.

As we step into 2026: What will you measure differently this year?

💾 Save this & ♻️ share if you believe quiet work deserves loud recognition

📩 Weekly insights for ambitious introverts in The A+Introvert Newsletter: https://lnkd.in/e7xQPNtn

"Don't fall in love with success. Fall in love with the habits that bring success."

That would've saved me years.

Twenty years ago, I was the ambitious introvert.
Crushing tasks. Exceeding targets. Getting nowhere.

Then my mentor pulled me aside.
"You're winning battles. But you're losing the war."

I was working harder than anyone else in the room.
But I was still invisible.

Success is borrowed. Habits are owned.

The project you deliver? That's success.
The deep work that made it brilliant? That's a habit.

The recognition you earn? Success.
The daily rituals that keep you going? Habit.

Chase success without habits, and you're building a career on sand.
Build the right habits, and success has no choice but to follow.

Quiet leaders who last do not fall in love with the spotlight.
They fall in love with:

⏰ Morning routines that protect their energy
🚫 Calendar blocks that make space for focused work
🤔 Time for reflection that sharpens judgment
📚 Reading habits that widen perspective
🛡️Boundaries that preserve their sanity

Promotions can be delayed.
Bonuses can be cut.
Recognition can be missed.

But habits?
They compound.
They decide who you become.

The introvert's edge isn't volume.
It's systems that keep working when the noise fades.
__________
Repost if you're done proving yourself and ready to build yourself

I built some tools for Introverts around exactly this. https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

Ngan Pham

Networking like an extrovert nearly cost me everything.

More events.
More coffee chats.
More small talk with people I'd never see again.

I thought more connections meant more opportunities.

I was wrong.

What I actually built was exhaustion.
And a contact list full of people I barely remembered.

When I finally dropped that belief, everything changed.

I stopped chasing quantity.
Started protecting my energy.
Invested in fewer people, went way deeper with each one.

The networking events I skipped?
Cost me nothing.

The shallow connections I let go?
Made room for the ones I actually need.

After 20 years as a CHRO, I've watched too many introverts burn out trying to play the extrovert game.

The ones who thrive?

They stop forcing what drains them.
They build their network around how they actually work best.

This weekend, try this:

→ Text one person who genuinely energises you. No agenda. Just checking in.
→ Say no to one thing you were going to push yourself through.
→ Spend 10 minutes in stillness. Introverts don't recharge in crowds. They recharge in quiet.

Letting go of the wrong approach is not giving up.
It's making space for the right one.

What's one thing you're letting go of this weekend?

💚 Happy Friday, friends.

♻️ Repost if you believe success should never require self-erasure.

💌 I write the A+ Introvert Newsletter. Weekly insights for introverts who lead quietly and build deeply. No fluff, ever.→https://lnkd.in/e2Yn259g

A cat that dreams of becoming a lion must first lose its appetite for rats.

This African proverb stopped me cold.

Because for years, I was that cat.

Chasing the safe wins. The invisible contributions. Work that kept me comfortable but never actually challenged me.

Rats felt manageable. Low risk. Low visibility. Low reward.

And for introverts? Rats feel even safer.

We tell ourselves that staying small is strategic. That avoiding the spotlight is wisdom. That if we just keep delivering quietly, someone will eventually notice.

But here's what two decades as a CHRO taught me:

The rats never run out.

There's always another inbox to clear. Another meeting where you stayed on mute even though you had the answer. Another task that feels productive but changes absolutely nothing.

Meanwhile, the lion work sits there waiting.

→ The difficult conversation you've been rehearsing in your head for months.
→ The one where you finally tell your manager what you actually want.
→ The role you're qualified for but haven't applied to because it feels too visible.
→ The idea you keep refining privately because sharing it would mean being seen.

The shift doesn't start with action.
It starts with appetite.

You have to:
→ Stop craving the comfort of smallness.
→ Stop finding safety in being overlooked.
→ Stop confusing busyness with progress.

I spent years perfecting rat-catching. Efficient, reliable, forgettable.

Until I realized something painfully obvious: nobody promotes the best rat-catcher.

They promote the person who stopped chasing rats long enough to hunt something that actually mattered.

The shift from cat to lion isn't about becoming louder.

It's about becoming hungrier. For work that moves you forward, not just work that keeps you busy.

So here's my question:

What's one "rat" you've been chasing that you know won't get you where you want to go?

Because I'm willing to bet you already know the answer.

♻️ Share if you're done playing small
📬 Want to build your lion appetite? These tools helped me:
→ https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

"You're too quiet for executive leadership."

My boss said that to me at 32.
I replayed it for years.

Every meeting I stayed silent.
Every presentation I let others take over.
Every networking event I left early.

I believed him.

The lateral moves? I blamed myself for not being louder.
The passed-over promotions? Thought I didn't sell myself enough.
The struggling projects? Maybe I was too introverted to lead.

I carried those stories like stones in my pocket.
Getting heavier with each new challenge.

Then something shifted.

The promotions I didn't get kept me learning.
Now I lead with knowledge, not just ambition.

The struggling projects taught me to listen for what wasn't being said.
That skill transformed every team I touched.

What I've learned about how introverts process setbacks:

→ We don't bounce back. We build back.
→ We don't forget feedback. We mine it for truth.
→ We don't perform resilience. We develop it in silence.

What others saw as weaknesses were actually strengths forming:

Avoided office politics → Built trust through work instead
Skipped self-promotion → Let results speak louder
Stayed in roles too long → Mastered depth others rushed past
Took time to process → Made better decisions than those who reacted fast

Today I'm CHRO.
Still quiet.
Those "setbacks" were my education.

Every introvert I've hired has a similar story.
Told they were too quiet. Too thoughtful. Too slow.

Now they're running divisions.
Transforming cultures.
Leading without performing.

Your setbacks aren't failures.
They're data points.

Your quiet processing isn't weakness.
It's how you turn feedback into fuel.

That boss who said I was too quiet?
He was half right.
I was quiet.
But I was building.

♻️ Repost if you've ever been underestimated for being quiet

📩 Looking for some daily success techniques as introvert:
https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

Introverts don't need fixing.
Your workplace culture does.

For 20 years, I watched companies try to "improve" their introverted employees.

They sent them to presentation skills workshops.
They placed them in open office layouts.
They nudged them toward noisy networking events.

But they missed what really needed changing.

Meeting norms that reward the loudest voice.
Brainstorms that drown out deep thinkers.
"Collaboration" that looks more like constant interruption.

When I was 32, a VP pulled me aside.
"You're too quiet. That'll hurt your career."

So I tried to become louder.
More visible.
More like everyone else.

Eventually I realized something important.

I wasn't the problem.
The environment was.

Today I'm a CHRO.
Still quiet.
Still thriving.

Not because I changed who I am,
but because I focused on changing the system.

If you're doing this:
❌ Telling introverts to speak up more
❌ Requiring constant collaboration
❌ Assuming quiet means disengaged
❌ Defining culture through happy hours
❌ Rewarding visibility over value

Try this instead:
✅ Send agendas in advance so they can prepare
✅ Start meetings with quiet time for written input
✅ Offer multiple ways to contribute, not just talking
✅ Create quiet zones for focused work
✅ Recognize the impact, not just who talks the most

The most innovative companies don't try to fix introverts.
They build environments where introverts can shine.

Quiet-friendly cultures boost productivity.
Written brainstorming surfaces better ideas.
And your next big idea might be sitting silently in the corner.

The companies losing top talent right now?
They're still trying to make introverts louder.

The ones winning?
They're creating spaces where every style can thrive.

If someone seems too quiet,
maybe the system is too noisy.

Stop trying to change them.
Start changing what's actually not working.

Because a culture that works for introverts
works better for everyone.

💬 What's one small change that could make your workplace more inclusive for quieter thinkers?

♻️ Share if you believe quiet leadership deserves more respect

📩 Join 100K+ ambitious introverts who get free weekly career tips: https://lnkd.in/e7xQPNtn

Burnout isn't about working too hard.
It's about pretending too much.

For introverts, the real crisis is not the workload.
It's performing extroversion 40 hours a week.

7 signs you're burning out from the performance:

1️⃣ Hiding in your car between meetings. 
→ This is not odd. It's survival mode.

2️⃣ "I'm fine!" when you're clearly not. 
→ The mask stays on. Always.

3️⃣ Your best work happens after everyone leaves. 
→ Because finally, you can stop performing.

4️⃣ Sunday night dread about people, not tasks. 
→ Your nervous system already knows what Monday brings.

5️⃣ Social battery dies by Tuesday. 
→ You're not weak. You're drained from acting all day.

6️⃣ Calls drain you more than the actual work. 
→ It's not the content. It's the constant "on" that kills you.

7️⃣ Recovery takes the whole weekend. 
→ Two days to recover from five is not a sustainable equation.

After 20 years in HR, I've watched this pattern destroy talented people.
Not because they weren't strong.
Because they were never given permission to stop pretending.

What helps (for you):
→ Block 10 minutes between meetings. Non-negotiable.
→ Replace one call with async. Protect your voice.
→ Batch high-contact tasks on specific days. Guard one deep-work block.
→ Stop apologizing for needing quiet to think.

What workplaces need to change:
→ Create meeting-free blocks for real work.
→ Default one weekly update to async instead of live.
→ Train managers to lead introverts: advance agendas, written input options.
→ Design offices with actual quiet spaces, not just open-plan buzz.

Your energy is real.
Your limits are legitimate.
Your need for space is not weakness.
It's wiring.

Which sign hit closest to home?

♻️ Repost to help introverts burning out in silence.

💌 Want to thrive without burning out: https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

A shark in a fish tank stays small.
In the ocean, it grows to its full size.

The science may be shaky, but the principle holds:
Environment dictates growth.

Introverts work the same way.

But here's what nobody talks about: we don't just need bigger environments.

We need environments with depth.

For years, I tried to grow in loud rooms.

Networking events.
Open offices.
Brainstorm sessions where speed won over substance.

I wasn't shrinking because I lacked ambition.
I was shrinking because I was in the wrong water.

Kurt Lewin, one of the founders of social psychology, proposed that behaviour is a function of both the person and their environment.

You cannot outwork a bad fit.

The typical growth questions fall short for introverts

❓ Am I growing here?
❓ Am I being challenged?

Here's what we need to ask instead

❓ Does this environment reward reflection or just reaction?
❓ Can I contribute in writing, not just in real-time?
❓ Do the people here value depth, or only volume?
❓ Is there space for quiet processing, or just constant noise?
❓ Am I becoming more myself here, or less?

If the answers point to "less" and you can change your environment, change it.

But sometimes you cannot leave yet.

So you build your ocean where you are:

→ Curate inputs that expand your thinking.
Books, podcasts, communities that go in depth, not wide.

→ Find one or two people who match your wavelength.
Mentors or peers who value substance over small talk.

→ Create pockets for depth.
Block time for focused work, even if the culture does not protect it for you.

→ Set quiet challenges for yourself.
Write the memo that showcases your thinking. Lead the project that needs patience over speed.

Your environment shapes your growth.
Your choices shape your environment.

Introverts don't grow by swimming faster.
We grow when we find depth.

Stop trying to grow in a fish tank.
Find your ocean. Or start building one.

💾 Save this and ♻️ repost if you believe introverts deserve environments built for depth

📩 Want to build your ocean? These are the techniques I swear by:
https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

Being "always available" destroyed my best work.

My sharpest thinking happened at 6am before anyone could reach me.
My worst decisions came from back-to-back calls with no space to process.

For years I wore it like a badge of honor.
Responding within minutes.
Never missing a meeting.
Always on.

As a CHRO, I thought that's what leadership looked like.

I was wrong.

7 truths about introvert productivity:

🔋 90 uninterrupted minutes beat all-day availability
Research shows it takes 23 minutes to regain focus after an interruption.
This is where real work happens.
Not in constant collaboration.

🔋 Transition time is not optional
15 minutes between meetings to reset is not luxury.
It's how your brain works.

🔋 Alone time is strategic
Your brain recharges in quiet, not chaos.
Biology, not antisocial behavior.

🔋 Saying no is a productivity strategy
Three meetings with real substance beat twelve status updates.

🔋 Email beats video calls for most things
Async communication protects time for work that actually matters.

🔋 Morning energy is sacred
Give your peak hours to hard thinking.
Not admin.

🔋 Your calendar should reflect your nervous system
Not everyone else's expectations.

Productivity is not about doing more.
It's about protecting your energy for what actually matters.

♻️ Repost for the introvert doing real work after everyone leaves
📩 Weekly introvert career insights → https://lnkd.in/e2Yn259g

You're still replaying it. The moment you said the wrong thing in the meeting.

The decision that caused extra work.
The email you hit send on too fast.

At 2am, you zoom in on every face.
Every silence.
The question underneath: do they still trust me?

What I've learned after 20 years in HR:
People care less about the mistake itself.
They care about what you do next.

✔️ Take responsibility
✔️ Communicate clearly
✔️ Follow through consistently

That advice works. But for introverts, there's a step before the step.

Our nervous system treats mistakes like threats.
So we go quiet. And quiet gets misread as indifference.
We withdraw. We overcompensate.
We rehearse conversations that already happened.

The problem?
Silence rarely repairs trust.

My Quiet Repair Plan:

1️⃣ Name the mistake in one sentence
"I missed a dependency. That created extra work."
No over-explaining. No spiraling. One clear sentence.

2️⃣ Own it 1:1, not on stage
Three sentences in private work better than a public performance:
"I've been thinking about what happened."
"Here's what I see now."
"Here's what I'll do differently."

3️⃣ Make the fix visible
Pick one new behaviour.
Use it consistently.
Let actions speak louder than apologies.

4️⃣ Ask for micro-feedback
Not: "Do you trust me again?"
But: "Was that clearer than last time?"

Small questions feel safer. For both sides.

A visible mistake, handled well, can build your credibility faster than playing it safe ever will.

That's what quiet confidence looks like.
Not perfection. Recovery.

♻️ Repost for the introvert still stuck in the replay loop at 2am.
📩 Weekly tools for quieter leaders → https://lnkd.in/e2Yn259g

The lighthouse doesn't chase ships.
It stands still. And they find their way.

I spent 10 years being the ship.

From 30 to 40, I was drowning in the chase.
Speaking louder in meetings where I had nothing to add.
Networking harder at events that drained my energy.
Projecting confidence I didn't feel in rooms that didn't need me.

Doing everything leaders were "supposed" to do.

Exhausting myself trying to be seen.

Then I watched the quietest engineer become CTO.

While I was running around like a ship without a compass, she stood still.
Like a lighthouse.
She never chased the promotion.
She attracted it.

While others networked, she built systems that worked.
While others pitched ideas, she solved real problems.
While others performed leadership, she delivered results.

The promotion found her.
Three companies tried to poach her within months.
She never applied for any of it.

That moment changed everything for me as an introvert CHRO:

Chasing drains you.
Attracting energizes you.

While others chase the spotlight, we become the steady light others steer toward.

Stop chasing what drains you.
Start building what attracts success:
→ Deep expertise over shallow networking
→ Quality relationships over quantity connections
→ Consistent delivery over constant visibility
→ Thoughtful strategy over reactive hustle

The lighthouse does not announce itself.
It stands steady.
Its light cuts through.
And every ship finds its way.

♻️ Repost if you believe quiet leadership deserves more visibility

📩 Want to be the lighthouse? These are some techniques I swear by: 
https://lnkd.in/eSdKpkMs

Stop forcing yourself to be "on" all day.

Your boss sees quiet.
Your close team sees hilarious.

Your network sees reserved.
Your best friend? Sees you acting like an extrovert.

And here's the thing.
Everyone holds a different version of you.
That is not broken. That is strategic.

➡️ When you are around people who give you energy, you show up fully. 
➡️ When you are around strangers or high-stakes rooms, your battery drains faster than you'd like.

This is not two people.
This is one person with limited energy making intentional choices about where to spend it.

Most introverts sabotage themselves trying to be the same everywhere.

So they either:
➡️ Exhaust themselves performing for everyone
➡️ Hide completely and wonder why nobody knows what they can do

Here is the breakthrough:

➡️ Stop trying to be consistent.
➡️ Start being intentional.

You are not broken because you go quiet at a conference.
➠ You are smart because you know the return on your energy investment.

You are not unfriendly because you skip happy hour.
➠ You are protecting your ability to show up fully in the meetings that actually matter.

You do not need to be the same version in every room.
You need to decide which rooms deserve your full energy.

What is one event or meeting you are going to skip this week, guilt-free?

♻️ Repost this for the introvert who needs permission to stop performing

We promote the loudest voice.
Then wonder why teams burn out.

I've spent 20 years in leadership.
And I've watched brilliant introverts get overlooked again and again.

They didn't fall short.
They quietly pulled ahead.

Harvard and Wharton research tells us something most companies ignore. Introverted leaders drive:
➜ 28% higher productivity
➜ 84% more engagement
➜ 50% lower turnover

So why do we still mistake quiet for weak?

Because we've built systems that reward volume over value.
Visibility over results.
Performance over substance.

This carousel breaks down:
➜ What the data really says
➜ Why introverts make elite leaders
➜ How to lead with quiet confidence

The quiet ones in your meeting today?

They're not disengaged.
They're processing at a level most leaders never reach.

💾 Save this for your next leadership conversation.
♻️ Share if your culture still mistakes noise for leadership.

Your Team Thinks Quiet Means Weak (The Data Disagrees)

I ignored the warning signs for 3 years.
Then my body made the decision for me.

Most leaders still think burnout is a discipline problem.
Better time management. More willpower. Stronger boundaries.

Yet the introverts I work with burn out even with perfect calendars.
Color‑coded.
Blocked.
Optimised.

Still exhausted.

The real issue? Their energy design has holes.

As a CHRO working with introverted leaders, I see the same pattern on repeat:

→ Saying yes to a "quick call" that hijacks your only thinking block
→ Attending the meeting you weren't needed in, just to be seen
→ Skipping the 10-minute buffer because "it's just one more"

One VP was ready to quit.
Exhausted by Tuesday.
Every. Single. Week.

We implemented the 3B Framework:

→ Boundaries: Clear office hours for interruptions
→ Buffers: 15-minute blocks between meetings
→ Being Selective: 3 strategic meetings, not everything

Result: 40% fewer burnout symptoms.
Same influence. Better decisions.

Your exhaustion is not a discipline problem.
It is a design problem.

Swipe through for the full 3B Framework.

💡 Save this before your next burnout warning sign.

👉 If your energy at work or in rooms full of people feels unfixable, this will change how you see it and how you show up:
https://lnkd.in/eEk9FQBx

You're Not Tired. You're Overspent. (And Now what?)

I stayed quiet in meetings for years.

Then one CEO told me:
"When you speak, I know it matters."

I'd spent years thinking my silence was a liability.
Turns out it was my edge.

Most communication advice for introverts?
"Just speak up more."

But more communication does not equal better communication.

⬇️ Swipe to learn how introverts turn quiet into influence.

💾 Save & repost this before your next meeting.
📩 Get my newsletter The A+ Introvert → link in carousel last page

Stop Apologizing For Not Speaking Up Immediately (Really)

Stop trying to be a louder leader.

In 20 years as CHRO, I've watched brilliant introverts burn out.
They tried being more visible.
More charismatic.
More loud.

When teams take initiative, introverted leaders drive 28% higher productivity.

Not despite being quiet.
Because of it.

Your quiet leadership is not the problem.
The cult of charisma is.

⬇️ Swipe through to see how quiet leaders actually lead.

💾 Save this before your next leadership moment.
📩 Join ambitious introverts in The A+ Introvert Newsletter → link in carousel or my profile

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