Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can ... - WordPress.com

and he told me how shy he’d beenwhen he first came to the UnitedStates—how he put himself in situations,like summer camp and businessschool, where he could practice actingextroverted until it came more naturally.These days he has a successfulconsulting practice, with clients that includeYahoo!, Visa, and Microsoft,teaching some of the same skills helabored to acquire himself.But when we began talking aboutAsian concepts of “soft power”—whatNi calls leadership “by water ratherthan by fire”—I started to see a side ofhim that was less impressed by Westernstyles of communication. “In Asian cultures,”Ni said, “there’s often a subtleway to get what you want. It’s not alwaysaggressive, but it can be very determinedand very skillful. In the end,much is achieved because of it.560/929