Gordon Brown, and Leadership Coaching the Introverted Politician

Voters in the UK went to the polls last Thursday, the votes were counted by Friday, and yet, as Monday dawns, as The New York Times put it, the British government’s “in a state of suspended animation.”

The Conservative Party got the most votes—but not enough seats in Parliament to win a clear-cut majority. That left Conservative leader David Cameron working through the weekend to strike a power-sharing deal with other parties, and Prime Minister Gordon Brown still in residence at Number 10 Downing Street. London’s Daily Mail described Brown as a “desperate” man trying to “cling to power.”

“Brown seems to be exhibiting some potentially hazardous behaviors of introverts in highly public leadership positions,” said Beth Buelow, a U.S. leadership coach who specializes in working with introverts. “Media reports and comments from the public paint (Brown) as having a superior attitude, being a control freak and a poor communicator. I’d be curious to see what’s at the root of his fear.”

“A 360° Assessment done by Couraud notes that resiliency is one his strengths. If he’s demonstrated that he has a ‘thick skin,’ where does he feel threatened? What’s at stake? Legacy appears to be important to him—he expresses desire to do good things for other people and to be recognized for his contributions. Those good works that show up on paper will be overshadowed by the way people have personally experienced him: untrustworthy, controlling and dark.”

Buelow says Brown’s nature as an introvert leaves great opportunities for coaching. “As a leader, there appear to be three areas that are getting in his way, ripe for coaching…control, communication and collaboration,” said Buelow.

“What’s the benefit of holding on to control? How does it serve him? How does it serve his ultimate goals? What would happen if control was shared? A favorite one for me that expands on an introvert’s need-to-know: what if you were open to outcomes, not attached? His communication style seems to flow from this controlling nature, and it would be interesting to see what happened as he released control and was more willing to admit mistakes (“quickly and emphatically,” as per Dale Carnegie) and apologize as appropriate. This would in turn enable people to see him as human.”

Brown, described in Britain as a bully and blowhard—both brilliant and desperately insecure—has been under increasing pressure to resign his post. To some, despite rejection at the polls, it seems the Prime Minister “doesn’t get it.”

“Personalities of Brown’s introverted type flourish when things go well, but find it hard to cope in adversity,” said Anthony Seldon, biographer of former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Buelow believes the introverted politician can be easily misunderstood in times of crisis, and be drawn into making mistakes.

“(Brown’s) introversion is…being perceived negatively by the media, in light of his following in the footsteps of the charismatically extroverted Tony Blair. That increases the chances that he will be misunderstood, feel pressure to work against his introvert strengths of listening quickly and speaking slowly, and be pulled in multiple directions without an opportunity to stop, look and listen on his own terms.”

Buelow would coach Brown on the issues of trust, control and fear. “Using traditional coaching or Voice Dialogue would provide a way to process through these challenges privately, rather than having them play out on the world stage.”

Buelow coaches what she knows.

“Growing up, I thought I was socially inept and shy, alternately energized by people and exhausted by them,” she said. A Myers-Briggs assessment in graduate school determined she was an introvert. “What changed my life was the definition of introvert: it was about where we get our energy, not about being shy. Now I knew why large gatherings drained me, why I enjoyed time alone or with a small group of people. I discovered that the more I understood my introverted personality, the more I could use it to my advantage.”

That, in turn, led Buelow to a unique coaching niche working with introverted leaders. “I want to help introverts fully claim their personality and work with it, rather than against it. Introverts are frequently misunderstood, by themselves and others. They expend tremendous energy trying to be extroverted, which is dishonoring to who they are and their needs. My vision is that all introverts understand, embrace and leverage their natural strengths. It’s all about being authentic and living according to personal truths.”

For Gordon Brown, a first step to leveraging his natural strengths amid political chaos?

Being firm about taking care of himself. “In such a public position, he would have to be extremely intentional in carving out time away from people and creating space for himself,” said Buelow. “Introverts get their energy from time alone, from introspection and space. If he is not acknowledging and honoring that need, parts of him that feel fearful, out of control and vulnerable will take over and show up in ways that sabotage him publicly.”

Buelow’s parting thoughts for Gordon Brown as he navigates the choppy political waters this week?

“Since his position demands collaboration and cooperation with diverse groups, he would benefit from examining options for surrounding himself with people who are stronger than him in certain areas. This, of course, circles back around to control. If he feels the need to control everything, he would want to be the smartest guy in the room.”