Ep 266 - Thriving as an Introverted Leader: Strategies for Clarity and Success with guest Shanea Dangerfield

Are you an introvert wondering how to harness your natural strengths to lead with confidence and clarity? In this episode of The Quiet And Strong Podcast, host David Hall sits down with Shanea Dangerfield, founder of Fieldwise Consulting and former Google leader, to explore what it truly means to thrive as an introverted leader.

You’ll discover practical strategies for managing your energy, building self-awareness, and navigating complex decisions—skills that can help you show up as your best self in both work and life. Key takeaways include the importance of embracing your need for reflection and recharge, how to create space for deep thinking even in demanding environments, and ways to foster open communication with both introverts and extroverts on your team. Shanea Dangerfield also busts common myths about introverts and leadership, sharing her personal journey and insights on leading authentically.

Tune in to learn why introverted strengths like thoughtfulness, listening, and mindful leadership are essential for building strong, successful teams. Whether you’re leading a company, a project, or simply yourself, this episode offers encouragement and actionable tips that will inspire you to lean into your unique gifts—and be strong.

Episode Link: QuietandStrong.com/266

Shanea Dangerfield is the Founder of Fieldwise Consulting,  She is a former Google leader where she managed a $1B+ business category. She is a Strategic advisor for services-based founders navigating complexities of scaling. Drawing from 2 decades of strategy and operations experience, she works with founders to make critical decisions faster with confidence, navigate growth transitions without losing momentum, and focus on what actually drives value.

Connect with Shanea: Website | LinkedIn

Transcript

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:00:00]:
And I think all of those things have really been a strength for me because, like I said, we don't have all the answers and you often need that thinking time. And so as I told that story earlier, like even from a young age, I always gave myself space to think. As I've moved through my career and there's been a lot more demands on me, I notice when I don't create that space for myself, that's when I feel the burnout. That's when I feel the drain. And so I do a lot of mindfulness and meditation, but I also do a lot of just mental checking in. Just a quick check, just to notice, how am I feeling right now? And if I'm feeling stressed, I'm like, have you gone for a walk today? The answer is probably no. When was the last time you took a break? And so I think those have served me well because then I can show up as my best self.

David Hall [00:00:58]:
Hello and welcome to episode 266 of the Quiet and Strong podcast, especially for introverts. I'm your host, David Hall, and the creator of quietandstrong.com. This is a weekly podcast dedicated to understanding the strengths and needs of introverts, along with strategies for success. Introversion is not something to fix, but to be embraced. Normally we will air each episode on a Monday. Be sure to subscribe on your favorite platform, leave a review or rating. That would mean a lot to me and help others find the show. Tell a friend about the podcast and help get the word out there that introversion is a beautiful thing.

David Hall [00:01:41]:
Shenea Dangerfield is the founder of Fieldwise Consulting. She's a former Google leader where she managed a billion-dollar-plus business category. She's a strategic advisor for service-based founders navigating complexities of scaling. Drawing from two decades of strategy and operation experience, she's worked with founders to make critical decisions faster with confidence, navigating growth transitions without losing momentum and focus on what actually drives value. All right. Well, welcome to the Quiet and Strong Podcast, Shanae. It's so good to have you on today.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:02:21]:
Thank you so much. Great for inviting me, David. Excited to be here.

David Hall [00:02:25]:
Yeah. We're going to talk about the work that you do. Tell us where it all started, your journey to the work that you're doing now.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:02:33]:
Yeah. So right now, I partner with founders and really early-stage teams to help them navigate those complex strategic decisions and leadership challenges that come up as they grow. But my background is really 20+ years in strategy and ops where I led various global initiatives and really helped teams move through with clarity and direction. And I would say I was reflecting a little bit on this, but looking back throughout my career and in my personal life, I've always been that person that people come to. You know, when they're at a crossroads and when things felt unclear. And it's never because I had all the answers. I wish I did. But I'm realizing it's really because I'm a really good listener.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:03:27]:
You know, I pay attention, I ask good questions, and I really give them that sounding board to open up and share, you know, what they're thinking. And I help them better think through things. And so that was kind of the through line as I was thinking through, you know, and being an introvert as well as kind of my career and where I am today. And I would say, you know, even when I was at Google leading like a billion-dollar category, what really stood out wasn't always the complexity or the scale. It was how do you navigate that level of ambiguity. And a lot of that, and we'll probably cover today, is with awareness, self-reflection, and noticing things.

David Hall [00:04:20]:
So, and those are introvert gifts right there. And we'll talk about that.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:04:25]:
Exactly.

David Hall [00:04:26]:
So you're a fellow introvert. When did you figure out that you were an introvert?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:04:31]:
You know, I think for me it was pretty young as a kid. You know, I always knew that I thought so deeply about things and needed time to process. I was never that person who off the cuff could just come out with this brilliant idea. It was me taking time to kind of reflect and think through it, and I needed to give myself space. And also recognizing that I needed time to recharge. And I was thinking back to my childhood. Even in grade school, I remember befriending the librarian. And I was an avid reader.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:05:13]:
And maybe once or twice a week during lunch, I would hang out with her in the library. And I think I couldn't articulate, oh, I'm an introvert. But I recognized that the social aspects of engaging during a normal school day, I needed those moments to recharge and just be with myself. I think it was fairly early on, and I think that's something that I've carried through of always recognizing that I need time to recharge. I can be very social and out there, but I'm like, okay, I need to bake in downtime.

David Hall [00:05:52]:
Yeah. Did you have to struggle to embrace it or it just came natural to you and you were fine with it?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:05:58]:
Yeah. You know, it actually came pretty naturally for me. I don't think I ever struggled in that way, like thinking I had to be— maybe there were moments, you know, when you are growing up and seeing how folks were a lot more social than me, but I think overall, I guess, kind of embraced it and just leaned into it. Yeah.

David Hall [00:06:25]:
And that's good to hear because, you know, definitely myself and others on my show and others I've talked with, you know, sometimes people think something's wrong with them, but I love that you said you didn't feel that way. So it's good for people to know out there. Yeah. Some people are struggling and they have to get to know themselves. Some people are like, hey, this is what I need. And it's, it's, it's really nice to hear that, you know, because there's both, you know, so whoever's listening, you you may relate to Shenea more than me, or, or you may relate to me more, you know, where, where you're at with it. Shenea, you alluded to your strengths as an introvert. Elaborate on those a little bit more.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:07:01]:
Yeah. I mean, I think the biggest thing is the self-awareness and the reflection and noticing when I was saying earlier, it's like noticing how I'm showing up, how I respond under pressure when I'm stressed. How I respond when I'm excited, noticing what drains me and how I communicate. And I think all of those things have really been a strength for me because, like I said, we don't have all the answers and you often need that thinking time. And so as I told in that story earlier, even from a young age, I always gave myself space to think. And I, as I've moved through my career and there's been a lot more demands on me, I notice when I don't create that space for myself, that's when I feel the burnout. That's when I feel the drain. And so I do a lot of mindfulness and meditation, but I also do a lot of just mental checking in.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:08:04]:
Just a quick check just to notice, how am I feeling right now?. And if I'm feeling stressed, I'm like, have you gone for a walk today? The answer's probably no. You know, have you, when was the last time you took a break? And so I think those have served me well because then I can show up as my best self.

David Hall [00:08:22]:
Yeah. And I love that. We do need to give ourselves some space for different reasons to use our introvert gifts to recharge. And also I, I like to point out that it's normal. It's a good thing. It's just somebody next to you, you know, an extroverted colleague or friend may not need the same space. They may need more, you know, brainstorming together and less, less space. And we just have to figure out, like you're saying, here's what I need and do that.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:08:53]:
Exactly. Exactly. And I'm married to an extrovert. So I, it is great in terms of noticing how, you know, my partner shows up and seeing kind of the value of both sides and also, like you said, protecting what you need in order to thrive and show up.

David Hall [00:09:12]:
Yeah, that's great. So you mentioned self-awareness. How do we become self-aware?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:09:18]:
Yeah, I will lean into mindfulness and meditation. And it may be different for everyone, I would say. Movement is another thing that I truly value because some people may say, oh my gosh, like, you know, I don't want to meditate, or, you know, there's, there's tons of apps and things out there. But the other thing I feel like helps is just being out in nature and movement. So if nothing else, just getting out and going for a walk, it, it like, it resets the brain and it allows you that space to kind of think and be reflective. And they always joke too, like in the shower, people come up with all these ideas in the shower because what are you doing, right? It's like the water's on, you're kind of in this trance state, you know, the water's hitting on you and suddenly you get these great ideas. So I would say those are some of the things that I do is either like just through meditation, which I know may not be for everyone, but if the other thing is movement and getting out in nature. Just two big easy things that you can do and that I do every day.

David Hall [00:10:26]:
Yeah. And sometimes in the shower, maybe driving in the car, that's when we get some of our best ideas because we're not trying to come up with them. So sometimes that's a good approach. If you are having some kind of mental block about something, you, you know, give yourself some space where you're not focusing on it and some good answers come that way often.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:10:46]:
The other thing that just popped in my mind too is just from a creativity perspective is anything creative. I think I read somewhere like just going to a museum and just looking at artwork already, it like shifts, you know, how you think and brings perspective. And I thought, oh, that's interesting. Like you don't even have to draw, just looking at artwork, you know, it allows that perspective. And I know I even try to paint and, you know, you know, even doodling, but just something that gets you out of your current state can help.

David Hall [00:11:19]:
Yeah. Yeah. I, I find movies do that for me. You know, it takes you into a different place and even though you might have some thoughts that have nothing to do with the movie, but it kind of puts you in a place to have those thoughts. Exactly. Yeah. So we also bust myths on this show. Is there an introvert myth you want to bust today?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:11:38]:
Yeah, I would say that they're not social. This is the biggest— you know, it's interesting. People always are surprised when I say I'm an introvert. Like, to me, it's very clear. I feel like I have like a big sign that says introvert. Right. But a lot of people will say, oh my goodness, I had no idea. Like, you seem so outgoing or, you know, you show up in certain situations confidently.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:11:58]:
And I would say I think that is a misconception that introverts, you know, are socially awkward or may not show up confidently. And that's just not true. Like, to me, that's just practice and exposure. If you go out and networking events or how you show up in social settings does not necessarily mean introvert versus extrovert. I always say it's about how you kind of recharge and kind of get your energy and how you process things. So yeah, I think the biggest myth is like, oh, you're— you can't show up in a social setting well. I'm like, ah, that's not the case.

David Hall [00:12:38]:
We all want to be social. Everybody. We just might have different social needs. And I'm sure you've experienced that. You said you were married to an extrovert, so I'm sure you've experienced that. You know, we may not want to stay as long as our extroverted partner or friend, you know, at the, at this thing, but we still want to go there and have a good time. But we might need a break after, or maybe we like a smaller gathering of people. Again, all of this wanting to be social, but just our needs might look a little different.

David Hall [00:13:11]:
And I mean, ultimately we all need some time alone anyway, you know, how much of that's going to vary, but we don't only want to be alone. There's a very small percentage of the population that only wants to be alone. Most of us all have social needs. Just, you gotta understand what yours might be, you know, different from a loved one or friend or colleague that's an introvert or extrovert.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:13:35]:
So, yes, exactly.

David Hall [00:13:36]:
And then you're talking about self-awareness. How do we bring that to our teams? How can we put self-awareness within our teams?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:13:48]:
Well, I mean, I would say part of it, like, I think the first is understanding thyself. Yeah. And once you're able to kind of notice how you're showing up, how you respond in certain situations, you actually can be a better leader because you will notice that within your team. And so I think that is in itself such a superpower of understanding and observing and noticing the different dynamics within a team of how people are showing up. And the other thing is part of being a great leader is allowing people to show up as their best self and creating that environment. And so I think you can also, by starting with self and understanding yourself and how you're showing up, you're leading the example in that way. And showing value for different styles. So that's what I would say is kind of the core, setting the example.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:14:56]:
And I would also say, yeah, I think just the mix of styles kind of add, and the team will be much better if you kind of recognize that there are different styles of how people show up.

David Hall [00:15:09]:
Yeah, that's for sure. I know another myth you want to bust. So what if someone says to you, introverts can't be great leaders?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:15:19]:
Yeah, of course I'd say that is not true. That is not true. But I would say the best leaders, first and foremost, show up authentically, are empathetic, are respectful, and create a sense of trust, right? That psychological safety. And to do that, you need to be open, to differing perspectives and views. You need to be open to listen. And all of those are, are really good, strong characteristics that introverts tend to have. So I would say that in itself leads us sometimes to be better leaders in that way because we can really cultivate that safe environment that teams need to thrive. Yeah.

David Hall [00:16:04]:
And what you described I think that's what most people are looking for in their leaders. There's some myths out there of this large and in charge leader, and I don't think most people want that.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:16:15]:
Yeah, exactly, exactly. And I would also say too, when it comes to being a great leader, the other half of that coin is like, how can you lead and make sure the team has clarity and direction? And are confident in that because they're looking to you. And that doesn't take being an extrovert to be confident. Sometimes, as we say, being quietly confident allows for your team to move forward and make better decisions.

David Hall [00:16:52]:
Yeah, absolutely. So on clarity and confidence, what inspired you? Why do you work with leaders to help create clarity and confidence? What's your story there?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:17:05]:
Yeah, well, I would say as you become a leader, you realize how much more the complexity. And often, I see very talented, smart, capable leaders who struggle with the clarity piece. And I would say that going back to the navigating ambiguity, clarity is knowing where to focus, right? It's not necessarily knowing what's going to be the perfect answer, what's the right decision. It's where do I need to focus my time? What are those trade-offs? And what are those decisions that I need to make as a leader? And what are those decisions that my team needs to make? That I can empower them to make. So when you think about capability versus getting clear and clarity, it's really capability can only take you so far. And really the next step is how do I get clarity on knowing what to focus when there are so many competing priorities that come up as your business or your leadership level grows.

David Hall [00:18:19]:
Yeah. And there are so many competing priorities and there's lots of good things to do, but, you know, I know, you know, and I know we can't do everything, you know, you have to make priorities and get clarity. So what, what kind of steps or practices do you do to get clarity?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:18:38]:
Yeah. I mean, first and foremost, I would say, like I've been saying is, you know, you don't have to know the perfect right answer. It's understanding that I'm going to make the best decision and use my judgment with the information that I have at hand. And part of that is, one, giving yourself space, as we talked about, because when you're in a time pressure, you are not making good decisions. And that's where that self-reflection and understanding yourself to say, oh, I can feel it. Feeling stressed, that's first and foremost is giving yourself that space. And then it's really looking at what is the type of decision that you're actually making, right? Is it something related to the strategy, the vision, the team culture? Is it reversible? You know, can I undo this decision? Is it moving the team forward towards our ultimate goal. And so that's where that kind of process comes in of how you think.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:19:51]:
And then you're able to kind of better navigate those moments and ultimately make the best decision. So it's kind of this 3-step process of giving yourself space, then going through to navigate, OK, what type of decision am I making? What are the trade-offs? What is the direction of where I want to be? And then using the information that you have to make the best decision and moving confidently, not because you're certain, but because you've known that you've gone through that right process of space, giving yourself space, self-reflection, and then moving forward with that process to make a decision.

David Hall [00:20:32]:
Yeah. And I mean, As introverts, sometimes we will make quick decisions. Sometimes we won't, need space. But I know as I look at some of the decisions I've made, especially the big ones, a lot of 'em came with time, you know, letting myself have space. And often you gotta ask for it, you know, you gotta tell whoever you're working with, your team, hey, I need some time to think about that.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:20:57]:
Yes, 100%. And I, I've, I think I read some stat like in a day we're making like 35,000 decisions a day, and it's like cognitive overload. And to your point, your brain loses the ability to prioritize. So stuff, some things that should be quick, you're probably spending too much time on. And some of those where you need that thinking time and you're just in a, you know, block, those are the— that is part of where giving ourselves that space, and then you can come out and have better perspective on that. Particular situation or challenge.

David Hall [00:21:32]:
Yeah. And I think we can build our reputations around that too, that people know, hey, sometimes David's going to need to think. And he'll come up with something great on this, that kind of thing.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:21:43]:
Exactly. And baking in thinking time. And it sounds so counterintuitive, but I try to, as much as possible, have space throughout the day where you can think because you know it's going to come up where you're going to need— I call it thinking time. But you're going to need time for reflection. And it's often something that we don't schedule in our calendar. We'll schedule everything else in there. If you're like me, I'm a big scheduler. But we won't block time for that, even though our body, our minds require it.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:22:18]:
So I think that's something else, like you said, because it's going to come up.

David Hall [00:22:22]:
Tell me about that. Do you actually block it off on your calendar?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:22:24]:
I do. I'm a big— I mean, it's— It's tougher when you're in a corporate environment and there's a gazillion meetings. But I do. And even when I was in corporate, I would block designated thinking time, reflecting time because I knew in any given week I was going to need that time. And it was like a non-negotiable. Obviously, things come up. But you have to make that commitment and block it out, show up to it.

David Hall [00:22:53]:
Yeah. And I mean, as introverts, we really benefit from giving ourselves some space. One of the best things I ever did, you know, and I live by my calendar too, is I blocked off the first 90 minutes because, you know, I'm in an organization where people can schedule things for me and, you know, so I blocked off the first 90 minutes and it's been wonderful, you know, that I had that space. And then also just periodically I look at my calendar All right, I do have a lot of meetings. Where do I need to plug in some space? And it could be for thinking. It could be for recharging. Where do I need to plug in some time? And again, maybe someone you're working with doesn't need that, but you do. So just let people know what you need.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:23:37]:
I love that, David, of that kind of checking in and looking because I feel like it's always retroactively, right? We're like, whoops, I probably should have baked in some thinking time. But to actually look at your schedule and say, You know what, I'm going to need that time.

David Hall [00:23:51]:
Yeah, absolutely. And then what, what's your thoughts on how leaders can, like, probably almost all of our teams are going to be made up of introverts and extroverts, likely, you know. So how can leaders promote good communication between different personality styles?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:24:12]:
Well, you know, I think giving opportunities, like maybe I'll use a meeting for an example, giving opportunities for both types, introverts and extroverts, to show up. So I would say often the default is creating an environment for extroverts. And so in a team meeting, it's like, you know, whoever speaks the most or speaks the loudest. And so I would say giving space for introverts might be, okay, maybe post-meeting, you know, send me your thoughts on it. Or having more preparation before a meeting where you can say, hey, here's some of the things that we're going to talk about. Here's some of the challenges. So it gives them time to think through how they might tackle or solve that. So I think there are ways that as a leader, you can build in space.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:25:05]:
And I would say the default mode is for extroverts to show up. So I often feel it's more of thinking, OK, how might an introvert be able to contribute and add value? And then the other thing is leading by example and being vocal about it to say, hey, we want to make sure everyone has the space to share. And you don't have to name introvert or extrovert. No. Saying, hey, some of you may need time to process it. What ideas do you have? And so opening it up to the team too, because they may have a lot of good ideas based on how individually they think or process information that you might not have thought of. So that's something else that I do a lot is try to pull the team in to helping make sure that everyone's views and opinions are heard in a style that works for them. And again, you're not going to hit everyone, but at least you can sprinkle in some of these.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:26:02]:
Into how you lead your team.

David Hall [00:26:04]:
Yeah. And you mentioned being able to speak after the meeting, and that needs to be okay. You know, I definitely don't want that to be the norm. I mean, we as introverts, if we prepare for the meeting, we can speak up in the meeting and make our points heard. But sometimes our brains are gonna be going and we're gonna think of something. I had an introvert CEO on and he said that definitely for the big decisions, they weren't final until like, you know, a certain, you know, they made a deadline where they're final, but not right after the meeting took place, but, you know, allowing for some additional feedback, you know, especially from the introverts.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:26:45]:
Yeah, no, that's exactly it.

David Hall [00:26:47]:
All right. And, uh, are there any other ways that you manage your energy as an introvert?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:26:53]:
Yeah, I'm trying to think of anything I've not covered, but I think for the most part, as I shared, just taking that time to recharge. I love what you said, David, around the calendar and looking. I try to do that where I look and say, oh my goodness, I have a lot going on. And I look at it by weeks to say, OK, I've had a lot going on. I'm probably going to need a day to recharge. Or a lot of social events that I'm participating in, I need a day to recharge. For me, it's definitely looking at my schedule, trying to bake in that time proactively, and also giving myself grace because we're not always going to get it right. And this is where that noticing how we're feeling and how we're showing up, it helps because when you don't get it right, your body starts to show, right? How you feel, maybe you're a little more irritable and you're like, what is going on? So I also say I, I try to give myself grace and recognize there's gonna be moments where, you know, I am probably gonna be over-indexing on some of the social stuff and not baking in that time, and that's okay.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:28:01]:
And you know, when I can fit in the time to kind of take that space and recharge, I'm gonna do it.

David Hall [00:28:08]:
Yeah, I love that. We need to give ourselves and others grace because something I've learned I'm not perfect, but nobody is, and, you know, and we're learning and growing and trying to do our best work and we're not going to get everything right. Yeah. Shenea, this has been a great conversation. Is there anything else you want to add today?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:28:28]:
No, I don't. I feel like we've, we've covered quite a bit of ground. Yeah, I think we've covered everything.

David Hall [00:28:34]:
And definitely introverts can make great leaders with, and leading with confidence and clarity and and just really tapping into your strengths as, as we've talked about today.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:28:46]:
Exactly.

David Hall [00:28:47]:
Yeah.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:28:47]:
And like I said, the thoughtfulness, the listening, the reflection, you know, it all is a great asset for us as leaders and, you know, for being good, good human beings as well.

David Hall [00:28:59]:
So, yeah. Awesome. Where can people find out more about you?

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:29:04]:
Yeah, definitely, you know, through LinkedIn or through my website on Fieldwise Consulting.

David Hall [00:29:10]:
Awesome. Thanks again.

Shanea  Dangerfield [00:29:12]:
Awesome. Thank you so much, David.

David Hall [00:29:15]:
Thank you so much for joining me. I appreciate you. I hope you take the time to explore other episodes and learn from other amazing guests. Remember, if you're interested in getting to know yourself better, there is now a free Typefinder personality assessment on the Quiet and Strong website. This free assessment will give you a brief report, including the 4-letter Myers-Briggs code. I'll add a link in the show notes. And I'd love to connect with you. Reach out at david@quietandstrong.com or check out the quietandstrong.com website, which includes blog posts and links to social media for Quiet and Strong and much more.

David Hall [00:29:51]:
Send me topics or guests you would like to see on the show. So many great things about being an introvert. And so we need those to be understood. Get to know your introverted strengths and needs And be strong.