The pandemic may have inadvertently brought about the age of the ambivert: While society has long valued and celebrated extroverted personality traits, blending introvert and extrovert qualities can make you indispensable in the office. Research suggests that the most successful employees are ones who can engage in a flexible pattern of talking and listening — aka ambiverts — writes Bryan Lufkin for the BBC. With covid-19 changing workplace dynamics, those poised to succeed were those most able to easily adapt, with ambivert personalities now highly in demand.

The ambivert advantage: A 2013 study looked at 340 sales call center employees and found the best revenue performers fell directly in the middle of the bell curve, with introversion and extroversion on opposite ends of the graph. “Ambiverts are likely to express sufficient assertiveness and enthusiasm to persuade and close a sale," the report said, while also being "more inclined to listen to interests and less vulnerable to appearing too excited or overconfident."

Around 20% of CEOs are true ambiverts, but the pandemic is making more: The unprecedented circumstances and uncertainty of the pandemic has forced leaders to connect with the various parts of their organizations to find the ideas that are working, and build on them, writes associate professor of management Karl Moore based on 350 interviews he conducted with C-suite executives for his upcoming book on ambivert personality types. Bosses needed to listen and provide flexible and empathetic work environments, but they also needed to broadcast clear and demonstrative enthusiasm to rally and guide the team into the unknown.

It’s about adapting, not overhauling your personality: Cultivating an ambivert personality is less about working on perceived weaknesses, and more about building up the ability to push outside your comfort zone by practising behaviour in micro-doses, experts tell the BBC. This can mean consciously being quiet in meetings for extroverts, or contributing more for introverts. But beware of burnout, experts say, as going against your natural preference takes mental effort, and it’s important not to push yourself too far where it feels disingenuous, and to take breaks to recharge.