sonny-chen

Sonny is a designer that values process, alignment, and asking the right questions. He has worked in various environments, from startups, larger companies, to design agencies. He currently lives in Pittsburgh, and previously lived in New York, San Francisco, and Northern Virginia. In his free time, Sonny enjoys playing basketball, dabbling in music production, and trying new foods.

Product Designer at Auth0

Sonny Chen

Designing remotely can be scary, but it doesn't have to be. With all this said, our tools and processes are constantly evolving.

Remote work is becoming more common now than ever before. In today's digital age, we have tools that can eliminate the need to be co-located in order to get things done.

At [Auth0](https://auth0.com/), our team of nearly twenty designers spans multiple time zones, with members distributed across Seattle, Argentina, France–even all the way to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(country)">Georgia</a> (the country, not the state next to Florida).

We take pride in our ability to not only sustain but thrive as a remote-first design team. This is because, while the ability to work remotely is a common practice in almost all companies, those that are fully remote tend to be within certain departments like engineering. For roles that may require more in-person interactions, such as design or product management, there aren't many remote options to choose from. Folks in design that consider remote opportunities are often disappointed to find out that "remote-friendly" doesn't always apply to their role.

Now, there are many reasons why companies may be reluctant to hire remote designers–even many of us who came from traditional work offices were hesitant about what this change in environment and lifestyle would mean to our day-to-day. However, being a company that empowers everyone to work from wherever they want–including designers–we wanted to share with the community some of the ways we approach and solve the challenges of designing remotely.

## Tools & Plugins

Within the design team, we've built an extensive list of tools that we rely on to stay productive, collaborative, and in constant communication. Note that this list can vary by company and teams. At Auth0, our designers are spread across thirteen product teams and marketing initiatives, with some teams working more closely than others. It's important to find tools that meet your team's specific needs and processes and to constantly challenge them as new ones come into place. Here are some of the tools that work well for us (from general to more specific):

### [Figma](http://www.figma.com/)

Figma is our design tool of choice because it enables real-time collaboration and helps us design in the open by acting as a shared repository for all our design files and libraries. We can easily organize files based on team structures and have even created cover templates for each file so that we can easily track and update the progress of projects.

It also offers a lot of benefits when working with our cross-functional partners. Figma is browser-based, so we can easily share work without worrying if people can open it or accidentally overwrites our files. Also, Figma files can be embedded as iframes. This is great for showcasing work straight from our project documents.

### [Mural](https://mural.co/)

For those that are worried about losing that magical whiteboarding experience when going remote, Mural is the tool for you. With Mural, our team can virtually huddle around a whiteboard to brainstorm and collaborate in real-time. There are many benefits to using a virtual whiteboard, and sometimes it can even be better than physical ones.

First off, everything is automatically digitized. No more transcribing or rewriting notes if you messed up or ran out of room. You can also add images, sticky notes, create flows, and drag things around as you like.

Second, we've noticed that virtual whiteboards can give everyone a better opportunity to contribute because no one person is dominating the board or conversation. This is incredibly important in giving everyone a voice so that we can drive better ideas and decision-making.

### [Slack](https://slack.com/)

The design team relies on Slack for many reasons beyond team organization. In terms of workflow, we use Slack to help us automate task management, status updates, surveys, and creating events. We even use Slack to recruit user research participants from Slack developer communities!

Slack is also crucial when it comes to team bonding and communication. A few members of the team are co-located, so we rely on Slack to ensure that no one feels left out. How else can we share our abundance of cat GIFs?

### [Trello](http://www.trello.com/)

There are many ways to use Trello, but one of our favorite ways is to use it to onboard new folks. Our Trello's contain information on design ceremonies and cadences, tools, Slack channels to join (e.g., #design-jams is where we share music), and much more. It's also great because it serves as a living board that we can continually iterate on as the team grows.

### [Zoom](http://zoom.us/)

Zoom is our video conference tool of choice because it offers some cool features along with it's incredibly simple and reliable experience. First off, as a company that relies heavily on customer feedback, Zoom is a great tool to invite and interact with external folks and lets you easily record sessions to the cloud. This makes it easy to capture and share user research sessions or all-hands. Zoom also offers a neat feature called breakout that makes facilitating brainstorms and workshops super easy and fun.

![zoom_image](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/75hTZ7LZadWL300LgZqN2q/92c1a40c1b22bec4aadf73feb82622e8/1_zoom_image)
The design team in our monthly reviews. Can you tell we like cats?

### [Clockwise](http://www.getclockwise.com/)

We value our time to get work done, so we use Clockwise to decrease context-switching and create focus blocks on our calendars. The plugin also connects to Slack so that it can automatically update your status when you are grabbing lunch, in a meeting, or in the middle of your focus time.

### [Loom](http://www.loom.com/)

When we want to capture and share demos asynchronously or walk through an idea, we use Loom. This also makes it easy for people who weren't available to catch up on what they missed.

![loom_image](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7yWXZlS5xiyqZXWvLJMhkr/c01dbda64c929b03d95b48a5bf3b6a5c/loom_image)
Tony from our team using Loom to walk through how he injects data into usability prototypes

### [Krisp](http://www.krisp.ai/)

Being a remote team, we can expect to find people working from a coffee shop, the airport, or even the beach as long as there's service. For moments when the background noise can get a little distracting, we use Krisp to mute background noise in real-time calls. It's amazing!

### [Donut](http://www.donut.com/)
We use a Slack app called Donut that pairs you with random people across the company. It's a great way to get face time with those that you normally wouldn't interact with, and oftentimes people walk away with something valuable.

### [Toby Chrome Extension](http://www.gettoby.com/)

Lastly, sometimes it can get challenging to manage all the projects and documents that are in flight. We use Toby, which is a Chrome plugin that turns your browser tab into your personal collection of links. You can set collections for documents that need your attention or save a collection of good reads to share with the team.

## Communication & Process

As designers, we often serve as the connective tissue between teams as part of thinking holistically and designing a cohesive product experience. This requires strong levels of communication within the design team and with our cross-functional partners. As part of our work, we need to ensure that everyone is clear on goals, has ongoing conversations as projects develop, and share learnings across teams so that we can achieve better outcomes and reduce duplicative work.

Here are some of the ways we facilitate this type of communication:

![Remote Working](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/1a1S0WICPdXHF78I3S3ysT/23b698a239d8a43d7d800794cae2620f/0_hero)

### Project and temporary channels in Slack

Slack can create just as much distraction as it can create productivity. At Auth0, multiple projects can be happening at any time with many different people involved. Rather than posting all updates to team channels, we like to create project-based channels to eliminate unnecessary noise and to consolidate everything into one place.

For projects and conversations that are short-lived but still need a space for discussion, we create temporary channels by specifying "tmp" at the beginning of the channel name (e.g., #tmp-project).

### Knowledge shares

We value team diversity and recognize the amazing mix of talents and backgrounds within our design team. In order to grow, we encourage designers to hold knowledge shares where they walkthrough their process on a particular topic, whether that be creating plugins, facilitating workshops, or conducting user research.

### Pairing

Impromptu pairing sessions are a central part of our day-to-day, and we often find that they yield quicker and more valuable results than scheduled meetings with larger groups. We try to make these seamless by integrating the Zoom plugin with Slack so that you can create and join a session with a push of a button.

### Workshops and Brainstorms

We like to bring as much structure as we can into our meetings. This includes preparing slides and exercises ahead of time, having a clear agenda, designating people to take notes, and always defining action items.

![workshops](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/7z2pn0Ywqm4kgLMx5ZPiuz/b7e14aa5cc256eac74f0870df83cbb7f/3_workshops)

The design team running through a structured ideation session with our cross-functional partners

### Ceremonies
Our design team has a set of recurring meetings where we communicate updates, share ideas, and look to each other for support. These meetings include weekly status updates, critiques, design all-hands, knowledge shares, and more. It's important to schedule these while considering everyone's time zones.

For our meetings, we like to have a show, not just tell, policy in which we prepare slides with accompanying visuals so that everyone can follow along with the proper context. We also try to systematize everything we do so that we can focus on what's important. An example of this is templatizing slide decks so that it reduces prep work while creating consistency in our presentations.

In terms of process, team members can propose changes to how we operate at any time, and we like to send out design surveys and polls through Slackbot to get pulse checks on how we feel.

### Offsites and Retreats

With all this said, sometimes it's good to just meet up in person. At Auth0, we have multiple offsites a year (including locations like Cabo!). We take advantage of these opportunities to hold strategic meetings, hear from different parts of the business, but also to bond and enjoy our time with our fellow team members.

![offsites](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/5vtHEO6uoB5bbAany2rb4m/c46569fc26c27d6b2c1318a21baed949/4_offsites)

The Auth0 design team getting together at our Bellevue office

## Conclusion

Designing remotely can be scary, but it doesn't have to be. With all this said, our tools and processes are constantly evolving. As our team continues to grow, we face new challenges, such as scaling our design system or bringing more data into our design decisions.

If you have any thoughts or tips on anything that was mentioned, please drop them below. We would love to hear them!

Also, if you are considering remote work as a designer or any other role, check out our job page [here](https://auth0.com/careers/positions?areas=Design).

Thanks for reading!

Designing Remotely at Auth0

auziros:jeana-tahnk

Jeana has been in the tech industry for 15+ years, both as a communications professional and writer. As Director of Global Communications at Auth0, she works with her internal team and external agencies to amplify the company's visibility worldwide and establish its leadership in the identity industry. When she is not working, she can most likely be found on a field watching one of her three kids playing sports, or cleaning up after her one-year-old retriever who chews everything.

Senior Director, Global Communications

Jeana Tahnk

Industry leaders in Japan rely on Auth0 for their identity management needs

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- June 3, 2019 -- [Auth0](https://auth0.com/), a global leader in Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS), today announced the addition of two leading Japanese companies to its customer roster, signaling continued expansion in the region. Both [NTT DOCOMO](https://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/) and [PERSOL CAREER](https://www.persol-group.co.jp/en/index.html) are using Auth0 for their identity management needs.

NTT DOCOMO, Japan's leading mobile operator with more than 78 million subscribers, is one of the world's foremost contributors to 3G, 4G, and 5G mobile network technologies. The company is preparing for the launch of a new service called "[docomo sky](https://www.docomosky.jp/)™", a drone service that offers monitoring for mega solar farms, manufacturing plant maintenance, construction management for large scale buildings, and more. Auth0 will support the service for securely authorizing users across its drone platform.

PERSOL CAREER, an affiliate of PERSOL HOLDINGS with $700M+ in revenue, 37K employees, and 75 affiliate companies, is one of the leading Human Resources (HR) service providers in Japan. It operates popular job posting sites in Japan for job-seekers of all levels. Given its breadth of services and affiliates under one brand, PERSOL CAREER is planning to use Auth0 to standardize login across all brands, starting initially with the launch of eight new web services, with the goal of expanding centralized login across its entire ecosystem.

Japan is on the forefront of digital innovation, and ranks fifth in the world on public cloud spending with a projected $7.4B in 2019, according to [IDC](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190228005137/en/Worldwide-Public-Cloud-Services-Spending-Forecast-Reach). The rapid and ubiquitous migration to cloud services, paired with the ever increasing need to securely manage identities and optimize the user experience, is serving as the catalyst for identity management adoption.

The growth of Auth0 in Japan is not only supported by industry demand, but also by strong leadership, with [Jun Fujita](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-announces-new-country-manager-in-japan/) as Country Manager, and developer community expert [Hideki Ojima](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-welcomes-hideki-ojima-to-the-team/) as strategic advisor. Another exciting addition to the team is Yasuhiko Tokunaga as Marketing Director. Tokunaga comes from Stripe, and was instrumental in building the company's brand in Japan.

"It has been really exciting to see how companies are responding to Auth0 and the rate at which we are signing on new customers," said Fujita. "The addition of NTT DOCOMO and PERSOL CAREER represents significant momentum for us, and we look forward to working with them and other Japanese enterprises of this caliber."

Auth0 recently announced a $103M round of [Series E funding](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-closes-103m-in-funding-passes-1b-valuation/), bringing the company's total funding-to-date to more than $210M. The past two rounds included investment from [World Innovation Lab](https://wilab.com/) to support the company's growth and expansion in Japan.

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />

Auth0 Propels Growth in Japan with Significant Enterprise Wins

As one of the highest-scoring businesses, Auth0 has standout employee engagement

**BELLEVUE, Wash. -- May 23, 2019 --** [Auth0](https://auth0.com/), a global leader in Identity-as-a-Service (IDaaS), is pleased to announce it has been named one of _Inc._ magazine’s [Best Workplaces for 2019](https://www.inc.com/best-workplaces-2019.html). Inclusion in this list is a reflection of Auth0’s emphasis on culture, and follows another recent accolade as one of the [50 Highest Rated Private Cloud Companies to Work For](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-named-one-of-50-highest-rated-private-cloud-computing-companies-to-work-for/). 
 
“We work hard to create a ‘relationship culture,’ where trust, honesty, and openness are always embraced; and perks like unlimited vacation time and flexible work styles are encouraged,” said Melinda Starbird, VP of People and Culture at Auth0. “We strive to make Auth0 a place where people truly want to work, and appreciate recognition of that effort by _Inc._ magazine.”

The strongest engagement scores came from companies that prioritize the most human elements of work. These companies are leading the way in employee recognition, performance management, and diversity. It’s a different playbook from a decade ago, when too many firms used the same template: free food, open work environments, and artifacts of “fun.”

Hitting newsstands May 28 in the June 2019 issue, and as part of a prominent _Inc.com_ feature, the list is the result of a wide-ranging and comprehensive measurement of private American companies that have created exceptional workplaces through vibrant cultures, deep employee engagement, and stellar benefits. Collecting data on nearly 2,000 submissions, _Inc._ singled out 346 finalists.
 
Each nominated company took part in an employee survey, conducted by Omaha’s Quantum Workplace, on topics including trust, management effectiveness, perks, and confidence in the future. _Inc._ gathered, analyzed, and audited the data. All employers were ranked using a composite score of survey results. This year, 74.2 percent of surveyed employees were engaged by their work—besting last year’s 72.1 percent.

All companies had to have a minimum of 10 employees and be U.S.-based, privately held, and independent—that is, not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies.

While researching the finalists, _Inc._ and Quantum saw distinct themes:

- 99 percent provide health insurance—and some cover the cost.
- 49 percent allow employees to bring pets to work.
- 65 percent take employees to offsite retreats to relax and recharge. 
- 16 percent offer paid sabbaticals to reward length of service.
 
"With today's tight labor market, building a great corporate culture is more important than ever,” says _Inc._ magazine editor in chief James Ledbetter. “The companies on _Inc._'s Best Workplaces list are setting an example that the whole country can learn from."

<include src="asides/AboutAuth0" />

## About _Inc._ Media

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, _Inc._ is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Winner of Advertising Age’s “A-List” in January 2015, and a National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012, _Inc._ has a monthly audience reach that’s grown from two million in 2010 to more than 20 million today. For more information, visit Inc.com.
 
## About Quantum Workplace

Quantum Workplace is an HR technology company that serves organizations through employee engagement surveys, action-planning tools, exit surveys, peer-to-peer recognition, performance evaluations, goal tracking, and leadership assessment. For more information, visit QuantumWorkplace.com.


### Media Contacts

Jeana Tahnk 
Corporate Communications 
Auth0 
[jeana.tahnk@auth0.com](mailto:jeana.tahnk@auth0.com)

Kasia Hall 
Matter for Auth0 
[khall@matternow.com](mailto:khall@matternow.com) 
971-246-7898

Auth0 Recognized as One of Inc. Magazine’s Best Workplaces 2019

jenny-obrien

I'm a former business journalist who's fascinated by the intersection of tech and business strategy — in particular how the right solution can transform an idea into reality. I specialize in ROI, data privacy, and identity.

Business Content Manager

Jenny O'Brien

Discover why Auth0’s remote-friendly culture might suit you 



If you're looking for remote work, you might want to check us out. [Auth0](https://www.flexjobs.com/jobs/telecommuting-jobs-at-auth0) just nabbed the seven spot on [FlexJobs 2019 Top 25 Companies Hiring for Work-From-Anywhere Remote Jobs](https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/top-companies-work-from-anywhere-remote-jobs/) after they reviewed their database of remote listings from over 51,000 companies to see who offered the most remote-from-anywhere positions from Jan. 1, 2018 through Dec. 31, 2018.

"We are a strong believer in hiring for talent and not by location," said Auth0 Vice President of People Melinda Starbird. "When opening a search without any regional restrictions, our ability to find amazing talent increases."

While FlexJobs reports that [95% of remote jobs](https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/top-companies-work-from-anywhere-remote-jobs/) require workers to be based in a specific location, at Auth0, we hire for skill over location. If a job is remote, you can work from anywhere. (We also made [FlexJobs' 100 Top Companies with Remote Jobs in 2019 list](https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/100-top-companies-with-remote-jobs-in-2019/) alongside companies in 15 industries who offer remote work, but might require you to be based somewhere specific.)

![Flexjobs 2019 Top 100 Remote Work Company to Watch](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/2zLavt3Uph79jJ0ynbeCUB/965d4ce5b8cda4eb9dd68e9a5fc7ba07/flexjobs-remote-work-badge)

## So Why Bring Your Talent to Auth0?

We're experiencing rapid growth, which means you have an opportunity to make a fast impact and grow your career with us. Last year, we made [Fortune's Next Billion-Dollar Startup](https://www.forbes.com/next-billion-dollar-startups/#4d886f244441) list while almost doubling our staff and [seeing a nearly 80% increase in sales and new customers](https://auth0.com/blog/auth0-closes-year-of-impressive-growth-in-2018/) --- and we're looking for people to help us double again in 2019.

## What's It like to Work Here?

- Check out our [culture and values](https://auth0.com/careers).
- Learn about the benefits of remote working [from our colleagues.](https://auth0.com/blog/we-are-thankful-for-these-benefits-of-working-remote/)
- Find out what it's like to go [from office full time to remote full time](https://auth0.com/blog/surprises-in-my-switch-to-remote-work/).
- Here are [our tips for remote success](https://auth0.com/blog/21-tips-for-remote-working/).

You can discover more about roles that are currently available at Auth0 [here](https://auth0.com/careers). For those who enjoy working with company, we may have roles open on our Bellevue, London, Buenos Aires, Sydney, and Tokyo offices.

![Auth0 group picture during Offsite 2018 in Panama](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/XayKxJQ4nelIPWGXIavt6/14ef81c79f3f90ff137a80b59e757ced/auth0-offsite-panama-group-picture)

_NOTE: I wrote this post from my snug office during a Seattle snow day, where I am able to enjoy my friends' frosty frolicking social media posts free from envy because working remote saves me approximately 15+ hours of commute time per week._


Auth0 Snags Spots on Two of FlexJobs’ Remote Worker lists

332d7898dae6bc56031ac3507a0248ba

I'm a full-stack developer with a passion for technology and code. I love writing tutorials for developers to showcase a particular technology whilst building something useful at the same time. Right now  I can mostly be found developing for the front-end, playing around with Docker, or tinkering with Unreal Engine and electronics!

Developer Experience Engineer

Steve Hobbs

Exploring the positives and negatives of being an introvert in a world full of noise

I think, deep down, I always knew I was an introvert — even before I knew what an introvert was. I remember from a very young age that I would usually prefer my own company over the company of others. Not just because there was a hint of anxiety whenever any social occasions surfaced with people I didn't know well, but because being on my own meant that I could relax and _be myself_. I felt such joy whenever the prospect of my parents going out and me getting the house to myself came up. It wasn't that I didn't like my parents (they are great parents) but because I would be able to enjoy not having to interact with anybody for a time, and recharge. I could exist in my own peaceful little world, free of judgment.

![Energy comparison between introverts and extroverts](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/33qnRJiqctTaDUFxzcHLh1/f70ce0e87559d559bf29bae0b711acac/introversion_1)

[[Source](https://medium.com/@anthonypjshaw/are-you-really-an-introvert-161e09819466)]

Today, this feeling of needing to take some time out to recharge and recuperate still hold true. The challenges are different, though. Daily adult life can present all sorts of activities and interactions that are necessary to engage in, but which also drain our metaphorical batteries. Simply going to work in an open-plan office every day would set me on a course for some much-needed downtime at the end of the day. Being in a position with some responsibility, my day was filled with meetings and other tasks with members of my team. This I was happy to do, but care had to be taken so that I didn't become too exhausted and "run on fumes" as the hours went on.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="It's important to realize that social anxiety and shyness are not inherently tied to introversion. Introversion is a built-in personality trait mostly influenced by genetics, whereas the degree of social anxiety or shyness is learned through our positive — and negative — interactions with our environment and with society."/>

## Finding Yourself on the Introversion/Extroversion Spectrum

Around [a third to a half of people identify as being introverted](https://introvertdear.com/news/there-might-not-be-as-many-extroverts-in-the-world-as-we-think-science-says/). Therefore, it’s important to recognize the environments in which you feel the most comfortable and able to do your best work. It’s equally important to recognize the different personality types that exist within your teams if you happen to be in a leadership role.

The [classic indicator](https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/extraversion-or-introversion.htm?bhcp=1) of whether somebody is an introvert or extrovert is to look at how they prefer to recover energy. Introverts tend to seek out solitude and quiet, away from human interaction in order to relax and recharge. Extroverts, on the other hand, can quickly grow tired of being alone and will seek out the company of others so that they may feel comfortable and engaged.

In truth, all of us lie somewhere along the spectrum between introversion and extroversion. Some of us are at an extreme, others towards the middle (the so-called [Extroverted Introvert](https://introvertspring.com/6-signs-youre-an-extroverted-introvert/)) and anywhere in between!

![Introversion and shyness infographic](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/6gLHtCxe7bshp50ZL2ob2a/85bb98b4818b1388b87483859269cae2/introversion_3)

[Source](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/introverts-happiness-tips-tricks_n_5730770)

It's also important to realize that [social anxiety and shyness are not inherently tied to introversion](https://www.andymort.com/introversion-or-social-anxiety/). Introversion is a built-in personality trait [mostly influenced by genetics](https://introvertdear.com/news/are-you-born-an-introvert-or-do-you-become-one/), whereas the degree of social anxiety or shyness is _learned_ through our positive — and negative — interactions with our environment and with society. The trend is that, because introverts are naturally quieter and more reserved in their communication with others, they are assumed to be shy. In reality, people all across the introvert-extrovert spectrum can exhibit socially anxious behavior — which can present quite [a problem if you happen to be extroverted](https://themighty.com/2018/05/what-its-like-to-be-an-extrovert-with-social-anxiety/)!

I've also heard it said before that "introverts hate people". I, for one, don't hate people. I just prefer to be around the few people that I know and love rather than groups of strangers. I favor engaging in one-on-one conversation or in very small groups over bigger groups, and I find small-talk very difficult. These are the kinds of things that give the impression that I "hate" people, but in actual fact, it's probably because a lot of the time you've caught me outside of my preferred social environment!

## You Don't Have to Be Extroverted to Be a Leader

As a lead software developer at my previous place of work, being introverted meant facing a number of challenges, like leading a team and helping them to achieve objectives, as well as the [environmental challenge of working in a large open-plan office](https://www.intheblack.com/articles/2018/11/05/why-open-plan-offices-kill-teamwork). My day would be filled with interactions with other developers, with members of the senior leadership team and general chat with friends and co-workers. On top of that, we would often be [pair programming](https://www.codementor.io/pair-programming) for a large part of the day. As you can imagine, these activities really ate into my energy budget for the day and I found myself having to plan out my day in more detail so that I could recover some of this energy at the right time. Sometimes this meant staying late at the office when it was quieter — not a healthy activity!

However, one part of my role — to be a leader — was one that I found surprisingly rewarding. Contrary to popular belief, not only can [introverts be extremely effective leaders](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/251177) in the workplace, but studies suggest that they can [actually perform better than their extroverted counterparts](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/introverts-are-more-likely-to-be-successful-ceos-study-claims-a7689621.html). Introverts tend to be deep thinkers and try to explore all the options before acting on a decision. Because we tend to be fantastic listeners, we are more able to come up with the right solution to problems. On top of that, introverted leaders are more likely to delegate and empower other team members, which is beneficial to individuals and thus the whole team.

If you're reading this and you happen to be an extrovert who is possibly also in a position of leadership, know that the quieter of your team members may be harboring some great ideas but require the space and the right environment in order to express them. They are much more likely to respond favorably in a small group session or one-on-one than in big groups. If you're having trouble teasing ideas out of someone, try chatting with them individually to see if they start to open up.

<include src="TweetQuote" quoteText="Around a third to a half of people identify as being introverted. Therefore, it’s important to recognize the environments in which you feel the most comfortable and able to do your best work. It’s equally important to recognize the different personality types that exist within your teams if you happen to be in a leadership role."/>

## Changing My Work Environment

These days, I work remotely for [Auth0](https://auth0.com), mostly from my home office. There are [many benefits to working outside of the office](https://auth0.com/blog/we-are-thankful-for-these-benefits-of-working-remote/). As an introvert, it affords me hours of uninterrupted, focused work when I need it. I am fortunate that the [culture here at Auth0](https://auth0.com/blog/our-culture-and-values-at-auth0/) is extremely conducive to remote working. We collaborate almost exclusively using Slack, which implies asynchronous communication; I don't have to answer that message straight away if I'm up deep into a task that I want to finish. Plus, I no longer need to commute to the city, which would often take a whole two hours of my day. _Two hours_!

More than that, it allows me to have the solitude that I need in order to function properly as a human being. This means I have more energy for family time at the end of the day, which is especially important when you have a wife and a young child.

![Remote working](https://images.ctfassets.net/23aumh6u8s0i/3V0JO72tZPHkkv4huzIokO/2cc86f8fad351e1140ad175c94376b66/introversion_2)

[[Source](https://open.buffer.com/remote-work/)]

There are [challenges in working remotely](https://auth0.com/blog/surprises-in-my-switch-to-remote-work/) that are not obvious until you actually start doing it. Occasionally, [introverts get lonely too](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-art-closeness/201601/5-tips-help-introverts-keep-becoming-lonely) and mixing my working week between working from home and hot-desking (utilising desk space in an office that does not belong to any one person) tends to satisfy any need for social interaction that I may have during the day. There are a number of places I go, between local business development offices that provide free hot-desking space, to the local supermarket cafe. Even just getting out of the house and going for a walk can do wonders to restart the brain and provide a sense of structure to your day.

One of the perks of working at Auth0 is the company off-sites. Every year, the various teams meet for a week of brainstorming, activities, talks, and collaboration. Naturally, after a day of working the tendency is to all head out together for food and drink. This scenario can be quite challenging for an introvert as the days can be very intense, especially when you're just meeting team members face-to-face for the first time. Scheduling in regular intervals of free time is an absolute must for situations like these, which allows the extroverts to gather together for their downtime, and the introverts to scurry back to their hotel rooms for a much-needed breather!

## Some Useful Resources

If you have read this as an introverted individual, I hope that you can relate to my experiences and I would love to hear about the kind of experience you have had as introverts in the discussion below.

I would like to leave you with some resources that I've found very useful over the years to help me understand what it means to be introverted. Hopefully, you will find some of them useful too!

- [Introvert, Dear](https://introvertdear.com/): A Community for Introverts and Highly Sensitive People. Great blog, but also [check out their podcast](https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-introvert-dear-podcast/id1375366625)
- [Quiet Revolution](https://www.quietrev.com/): Website and blog of Susan Cain, author of the ["Quiet"](https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/dp/0307352153) book. Also, check out [her TED talk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0KYU2j0TM4) on the same topic
- [The Introverted Leader](https://www.amazon.com/Introverted-Leader-Building-Quiet-Strength/dp/1523094338/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544117953&sr=8-1&keywords=the+introverted+leader): a great book by Jennifer B. Kahnweiler on using your introversion as a source of strength in the workplace, and how to help build a more introvert-friendly environment at work

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