Reasons For Extroverts And Introverts To Join Forces

Introverts and extroverts can do great things when they work together. Throughout history, every couple of opposing characters launched wonderful new products, created great artworks and changed history together, like Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, musicians Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and the American inventors the Wright brothers.

But while they thought they made great duos, in reality, they might quarrel and their relationship might reach a very low point. The twin sisters and journalists Ann Landers and Abigail Van Buren didn't talk to each other for seven years, and Nobel Prize-winning scientists James Watson and Francis Crick stopped working together after discovering DNA.

Contrasting characters vary widely:

Introverts are often annoyed by the habit of extroverts speaking before thinking, using too many words to express and showcase themselves. On the other hand, extroverts are often troubled by introverts' overthinking, slow and unemotional responses, and the need for quiet time alone.

Opposite relationships are just like marriage - they don't last, neither do genius opposites. Both partners need to work on their relationship to succeed, and the relationship also needs constant vigilance, careful attention, and balance to work out. The solution is for them to stop focusing on their differences and start trying to understand and appreciate the special qualities of each other instead.  This enables them to use conflicts to stimulate creativity and enrich their own skills by learning from each other, and reach results that they couldn't reach previously by working separately.

3 reasons to go far with your opposite:

Jennifer B. Kahnweiler, author of The Genius of Opposites, has three compelling reasons for making a focused effort to go far with your opposite:

1. Work in harmony:

When partners are in harmony, they make the best from each other and fill in the void left by the other. So, despite their contrasting styles, the results of their work will look like the result of one powerful mind. Musicians link their relationships to a kind of harmony, where arranging different notes that come together creates something beautiful, something that cannot be achieved with one note.

2. Collaboration:

Successful opposites understand the key dimension of their personality styles and use those differences to challenge each other and strengthen themselves as a team. Individual, self-centered careers are shifting to collaboration, where competitors are coming together as business partners, vendors are collaborating with their customers, and the same goes for global partners across continents to achieve their goals.

3. Growth:

When opposites work together, they can take advantage of their strengths and change their roles. There’s a fulfillment that results from getting out of the comfort zone and a sense of confidence and satisfaction that comes with doing something new. For instance, the introverted entrepreneur Arlene hated communicating and resisted going to her professional association's monthly meeting, but she realized that she was missing out on connecting with potential clients. So, she forced herself to go for the sake of business.

At first, she clung to her business partner Steve, but after a while, she felt more comfortable and learned how to communicate in her own way through focused conversations with a few key people. Since nearly half of the people in the world are either introverts or extroverts, it’s likely that you have interacted or will interact with your opposite in the future. Therefore, it's your harmony that will determine whether you sink or swim in your relationship with your opposite.