Greg Weinger – The Introverted Professional’s Advantage
SEASON: 5 EPISODE: 29
Episode Overview:
Welcome back to the Becoming Preferred podcast. The podcast that helps business professionals and entrepreneurs go from being just another option to being the emotional favorite. Today we’re addressing a topic that so many of us navigate daily: the power of quiet leadership. The business world often celebrates the loudest voice in the room, but what if the most powerful leaders are actually the ones who are thinking, listening, and observing?
Our guest today is a living testament to this idea. With over two decades as a successful product and technology executive, he’s led teams and scaled startups, but he’s here today as the voice of the quiet thinker. He’s the host of the Powerful Introvert podcast and newsletter, and he’s on a mission to help introverted professionals and leaders embrace their natural strengths and thrive on their own terms. Please join me for my conversation with Greg Weinger.
Guest Bio:
What if the best leaders weren’t the loudest voices in the room?
Greg Weinger has spent over 20 years proving that introverts and unconventional thinkers can thrive in leadership. A seasoned product and technology executive, he has helped scale startups 10X to $70M+ in revenue, leading teams that build market-leading digital products and drive business growth. A Stanford graduate, he studied English literature, creative writing, and software engineering—giving him a unique ability to blend technical expertise, storytelling, and strategic thinking to make complex ideas accessible and actionable.
Greg is the author and host of Powerful Introvert, a Substack publication and podcast dedicated to helping introverts unlock their leadership potential. A sought-after speaker, he challenges outdated leadership norms and explores how organizations can create inclusive leadership structures that embrace diverse working styles.
He is also deeply interested in the intersection of technology and personal wellness, exploring how wearable biometrics and machine learning can optimize meditation, mindfulness, exercise, and sleep to help leaders operate at their best. His mission is to redefine leadership by prioritizing self-awareness, leveraging introverts’ strengths, and creating space for different leadership styles to thrive.
Greg speaks with depth, clarity, and a touch of irreverence, delivering insights that challenge assumptions, spark new ways of thinking, and provide practical takeaways for better leadership and performance.
Greg lives in Portland, Oregon, with his wife of 25 years, their two cats, and their golden retriever, Mervin. He is a proud father of two college-aged children.
Insight Gold Timestamps:
02:11 Introverts are looking inwardly first
02:21 Extroverts, the bias is outward first, they’re acting, they’re emoting
04:39 They talk about ambiverts
07:02 The more prepared introverts are, the generally the better off they are going into a situation
08:23 So, what are the most damaging misconceptions about introverted leaders
09:04 Just because they’re quiet doesn’t mean that they don’t have anything to say
12:58 Why do we have such a bias towards the extroverted leader?
14:47 There are absolutely ways to do this in a way that are authentic to you
16:32 My personal practice, I wake up earlier and I am meditating for 40 minutes to an hour
20:05 How should we approach to make that introvert feel comfortable or that extrovert feel comfortable?
21:17 Introverts like authenticity
23:25 What’s your advice for turning self-doubt into a source of confidence and credibility?
25:29 When you’re vulnerable, you’re speaking your truth, that’s authentic
27:10 The phrase is: Let the puppy tire itself out
28:18 It’s a constant practice to be as present as we can
30:45 There’s never been a better time to understand yourself, accept yourself, and have support for becoming the leader that you ought to be
31:47 I started this podcast called Powerful Introvert
Connect Socially:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryweinger/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@powerfulintrovert
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/powerful_introvert
Podcast: https://www.powerfulintrovertpodcast.com/
Email: gweinger@gmail.com
Sponsors:
Rainmaker LeadGen Platform Demo: https://bookme.michaelvickers.com/lite/rainmaker-leadgen-platform-demo
Rainmaker Digital Solutions: https://www.rainmakerdigitalsolutions.com/
Resources: https://becomingpreferred-podcast.com/resources/
About the Host, Michael
Michael Vickers inspires enduring success, redefining the possible for today’s sales professionals, leaders, and managers. Whatever the sales or business opportunity, Michael will greatly enhance your odds of success. Every person who has an idea to promote, an employee to motivate, or a deal to negotiate, will attain a new level of success after an event with Michael.
Michael is also the best-selling author of Becoming Preferred: How to Outsell Your Competition, and Dance of the Rainmaker: Creating Authentic Differentiation in Today's Competitive Marketplace, where he shares his secrets to achieving the very highest level of sales mastery.
Whatever the result you’re striving for, if it involves influencing others or achieving success through others, Michael will build your confidence and accelerate your performance.
Michael is the Executive Director of Summit Learning Systems, a company that offers customized in-house training programs to many of today’s leading companies. He teaches thousands of business professionals throughout North America the skills required to achieve optimum performance.