Working with Nerds: A Survival Guide for Extroverts

When I first started my career in human resources, I worked for an IT company. Although I had been exposed to many computer science majors and other technically savvy folks in college, I never realized the distinct differences in personalities and work styles between an extrovert like me and your typical introverted engineer.

The contrast became quite obvious as I would walk the long hallway to my office and try to say hello to those passing me. I emphasize “try” because most of my engineering colleagues were more comfortable looking at their shoelaces than making eye contact and engaging in morning pleasantries with me.

Ah well, you can’t win them all, right?

I don’t draw distinctions between our differing styles to say that mine is better. I highlight this to explain that there are lots of differences in the workplace. Those who succeed are those who can adapt and so I learned to bring my morning peppiness down a notch and say a quiet hello, rather than my default cheerleader-esque morning excitement.

We were well beyond the days of pocket protectors, slide rules and other stereotypical hallmarks of nerdom. In fact, the company was engaged in exciting and highly technical work in solving challenges for both government and commercial clients.

I was asked to recruit computational linguists for one project. This was a job title I had never heard of and had no idea where to even start. I eventually figured it out and made some successful hires for the project, but it wasn’t without its challenges. Throughout the process, I learned a few valuable lessons about working with high-tech talent:

Learn the Preferred Communication Style for Those on Your Team and Use It.

The de facto mode for recruitment is sometimes calling candidates to learn more about them, but many of my IT candidates preferred email to phone conversations. Working with people is not one-size-fits-all. I learned to adjust away from what was more comfortable for me and went with the preferred style for the person I was working with. Working with employees is a lot like sales, it’s important to understand your customer’s preferences and tailor your interactions accordingly.

Recognize and Appreciate Team Member Differences.

It’s really all about respect. When working with really smart people, look to them for their knowledge, skills, and abilities. They will appreciate that you understand their value to the team and the organization as a whole. If we were all cookie cutters of each other, we would miss out on a lot of things that come from the diversity of backgrounds and perspectives.
You don’t have to know everything, even when you’re the manager. In fact, it’s best to rely on your techies for their subject-matter expertise. This helps to foster an environment of mutual respect.

Quiet Reflection Is Sometimes Necessary

Having a little recharge time to myself wasn’t such a bad thing. Collaboration and teamwork are great, but there can still be space for working independently.

IT folks sometimes get a bad reputation for not wanting to engage in small talk, give presentations and other more outwardly focused communication tactics. However, it takes lots of different types of people to make the world go ‘round and I have learned a tremendous amount about myself through working with my own network of introverted techies.

About the author:
Amanda Haddaway is the managing director and lead consultant and trainer for HR Answerbox, a boutique consultancy focused on solving the people problems that business owners, executives, and managers face on a daily basis. Amanda has more than 15 years and 30,000 hours of experience in corporate HR services, which allows her to effectively partner with organizations to help them solve their human resources and employee challenges.