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Susan Cain

About

I practiced corporate law for seven years, representing clients like Goldman Sachs and General Electric, and then became a negotiations consultant, training all kinds of people, from hedge fund managers to TV producers to college students negotiating their first salaries. My clients have included Merrill Lynch, Shearman & Sterling, One Hundred Women in Hedge Funds, and many more. I went to Princeton University and Harvard Law School.

From this you might guess that I'm a hardcore, wonderfully self-confident, pound-the-table kind of person, when in fact I'm just the opposite. I prefer listening to talking, reading to socializing, and cozy chats to group settings. I like to think before I speak (softly). I've never given a speech without being terrified first. And somehow I know that everything I've ever accomplished, in love and in work, I owe to these traits, annoying though they may sometimes be. I've explored this paradox in my first book, QUIET: The Power of Introverts In a World That Can't Stop Talking, due out from Crown Publishers in January 2012. I also recently co-founded Quiet Revolution, LLC, a startup that aims to help businesses manage their introverted employees.

I live on the banks of the Hudson River in an 1822 captain's cottage with my beloved husband and sons. My favorite activities are reading, writing, lounging around cafés, and doing the mambo with my family. I use a lot of old-fashioned expressions. A few times a year, I try to like cooking. I'm insatiably curious about human nature.

Recent Posts
Who’s an Example of Introverted Leadership?

Bestselling author Susan Cain provides a stunning example of introverted leadership--and it's not Gandhi or Rosa Parks.

Bestselling author Susan Cain provides a stunning example of introverted leadership--and it's not Gandhi or Rosa Parks.

How to Learn to Love Networking

We all want to connect at a deep level. The only question is, how do you find the magical portal to the deep stuff?

We all want to connect at a deep level. The only question is, how do you find the magical portal to the deep stuff?

How to Be Courageous

Notice every time you do something that you’re scared to do—something your body is telling you not to do. You’ll start to realize that you do these things all the time. You’re already much braver than you think.

Notice every time you do something that you’re scared to do—something your body is telling you not to do. You’ll start to realize that you do these things all the time. You’re already much braver than you think.

How I Quit My Job and Became a Writer

When at age 33 I quit corporate law to become a writer, most people I knew, including my very own self, thought I was nuts.

When at age 33 I quit corporate law to become a writer, most people I knew, including my very own self, thought I was nuts.

7 Ways to Use the Power of Powerless Communication

When people think you’re trying to influence them, they put their guard up. But when they feel you’re trying to help them, or to muse your way to the right answer, or to be honest about your own imperfections, they open up to you. They hear what you have to say.

When people think you’re trying to influence them, they put their guard up. But when they feel you’re trying to help them, or to muse your way to the right answer, or to be honest about your own imperfections, they open up to you. They hear what you have to say.