The power of introverts | Susan Cain | TED

Translator: Susana Brandariz Reviewer: Xusto Rodriguez

When I was nine years old,

Cando tiña nove anos,

I went off to summer camp for the first time.

fun por primeira vez a un campamento de verán.

And my mother packed me a suitcase full of books,

E a miña nai preparoume unha maleta chea de libros,

which to me seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do.

o que me pareceu o máis natural do mundo,

Because in my family, reading was the primary group activity.

porque na miña familia,

ler era a principal actividade en grupo.

And this might sound antisocial to you,

E isto pódelles soar antisocial,

but for us it was really just a different way of being social.

pero para nós era só unha forma distinta de socializar.

You have the animal warmth of your family sitting right next to you,

Tes a calor animal da túa familia sentada a carón,

but you are also free to go roaming around the adventureland

pero tamén es libre de vagar polo mundo das aventuras

inside your own mind.

dentro da propia mente.

And I had this idea

E eu tiña esta idea

that camp was going to be just like this, but better.

de que aquel campamento ía ser algo así, pero mellor.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

I had a vision of 10 girls sitting in a cabin

Imaxinaba a 10 rapazas sentadas nunha cabana

cozily reading books in their matching nightgowns.

lendo libros comodamente e con camisóns idénticos.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Camp was more like a keg party without any alcohol.

O campamento foi máis como unha festa sen alcohol

And on the very first day,

E o primeiro día

our counselor gathered us all together

a nosa monitora reuniunos a todas

and she taught us a cheer that she said we would be doing

e ensinounos un grito de guerra que dixo que iamos berrar

every day for the rest of the summer to instill camp spirit.

tódolos días do resto do verán

para que nos infundise espírito de campamento.

And it went like this:

Era algo así:

"R-O-W-D-I-E,

"R-U-D-O-S-A-S,

that's the way we spell rowdie.

así é como soletreamos rudosas.

Rowdie, rowdie, let's get rowdie."

Rudosas, sexamos rudosas."

(Laughter)

Yeah.

Si!

So I couldn't figure out for the life of me

Non conseguía entender por máis que tentaba

why we were supposed to be so rowdy,

por que tiñamos que ser tan ruidosas

or why we had to spell this word incorrectly.

ou por que había que soletrear a palabra incorrectamente.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

But I recited a cheer. I recited a cheer along with everybody else.

Pero recitei o cántico, recitei o cántico coas demais.

I did my best.

Fíxeno o mellor que puiden.

And I just waited for the time that I could go off and read my books.

E só esperaba o momento de desaparecer para ir ler os meus libros.

But the first time that I took my book out of my suitcase,

Pero a primeira vez que saquei un libro da maleta,

the coolest girl in the bunk came up to me

a rapaza máis popular do cuarto veu onda min

and she asked me, "Why are you being so mellow?" --

e preguntoume: "Por que es tan sosegada?"...

mellow, of course, being the exact opposite

sosegada, claro, era todo o contrario

de R-U-D-O-S-A.

of R-O-W-D-I-E.

And then the second time I tried it,

A segunda vez que o intentei,

the counselor came up to me with a concerned expression on her face

a monitora achegóuseme con cara de preocupación

and she repeated the point about camp spirit

e repetiu o obxectivo do espírito do campamento

and said we should all work very hard to be outgoing.

e dixo que todas deberiamos traballar duro para ser extravertidas.

And so I put my books away,

Entón gardei os meus libros de volta na maleta,

back in their suitcase,

and I put them under my bed,

e púxenos debaixo da cama

and there they stayed for the rest of the summer.

e aí quedaron o resto do verán.

And I felt kind of guilty about this.

Sentinme un pouco culpable por facelo.

I felt as if the books needed me somehow,

Sentía como se os libros precisasen de min,

and they were calling out to me and I was forsaking them.

como se me estivesen chamando e eu os abandonase.

But I did forsake them and I didn't open that suitcase again

Pero abandoneinos e non abrín máis aquela maleta

until I was back home with my family at the end of the summer.

ata estar de volta na casa coa miña familia ao final do verán.

Now, I tell you this story about summer camp.

Cóntolles esta historia do campamento de verán.

I could have told you 50 others just like it --

Podería contarlles outras 50 parecidas...

all the times that I got the message

sobre todas a veces que recibín a mensaxe

that somehow my quiet and introverted style of being

de que, dalgún xeito, o meu carácter calmado e introvertido

was not necessarily the right way to go,

non era necesariamente a forma correcta de actuar,

that I should be trying to pass as more of an extrovert.

que debería tentar ser máis extravertida.

And I always sensed deep down that this was wrong

E sempre sentín no meu interior que iso era un erro

and that introverts were pretty excellent just as they were.

e que os introvertidos eran excepcionais tal como eran.

But for years I denied this intuition,

Pero durante anos rexeitei esta intuición,

and so I became a Wall Street lawyer, of all things,

e así, de entre todas as cousas, fíxenme avogada de Wall Street

instead of the writer that I had always longed to be --

no canto da escritora que sempre quixera ser...

partly because I needed to prove to myself that I could be bold and assertive too.

en parte, porque precisaba probarme que podía ser atrevida e asertiva.

And I was always going off to crowded bars

E ía sempre a bares ateigados

when I really would have preferred to just have a nice dinner with friends.

cando en realidade preferiría unha cea agradable entre amigos.

And I made these self-negating choices so reflexively,

E tomei estas decisións de autonegación tan instintivamente,

that I wasn't even aware that I was making them.

que non era consciente de que as tomaba.

Now this is what many introverts do,

Isto é o que moitos introvertidos fan,

and it's our loss for sure,

e sen dúbida é unha perda para nós,

but it is also our colleagues' loss

pero tamén para os nosos amigos

and our communities' loss.

And at the risk of sounding grandiose, it is the world's loss.

e as nosas comunidades.

E, aínda que soe arrogante, é unha perda para o mundo.

Because when it comes to creativity and to leadership,

Porque cando se trata de creatividade e liderado

we need introverts doing what they do best.

precisamos dos introvertidos facendo o que mellor saben.

A third to a half of the population are introverts --

Entre un terzo e a metade da poboación é introvertida

a third to a half.

... entre un terzo e a metade.

So that's one out of every two or three people you know.

Iso é unha de cada dúas ou tres persoas das que coñecemos.

So even if you're an extrovert yourself,

Así que mesmo se vostedes son extravertidos,

I'm talking about your coworkers

falo dos seus compañeiros de traballo

and your spouses and your children

e das súas parellas e dos seus fillos

and the person sitting next to you right now --

e da persoa que se senta ao seu carón agora mesmo...

all of them subject to this bias

todos eles están suxeitos a este prexuízo

that is pretty deep and real in our society.

que é profundo e está presente na sociedade.

We all internalize it from a very early age

Todos o interiorizamos desde moi pequenos

without even having a language for what we're doing.

sen ter sequera unha lingua para o que facemos.

Now, to see the bias clearly,

Para ver este prexuízo con claridade,

you need to understand what introversion is.

cómpre entender o que é a introversión.

It's different from being shy.

É diferente a ser tímido.

Shyness is about fear of social judgment.

A timidez é o medo ao xuízo social.

Introversion is more about,

A introversión ten máis que ver

how do you respond to stimulation,

con como se responde á estimulación,

including social stimulation.

incluíndo a estimulación social.

So extroverts really crave large amounts of stimulation,

Os extravertidos precisan grandes cantidades de estimulación

whereas introverts feel at their most alive

mentres que os introvertidos se senten máis vivos

and their most switched-on and their most capable

máis activos e máis capaces

when they're in quieter, more low-key environments.

cando están en ambientes máis tranquilos e relaxados.

Not all the time -- these things aren't absolute --

Non sempre... estas cousas non son absolutas...

but a lot of the time.

pero si moitas veces.

So the key then to maximizing our talents

Así que a clave para maximizar os nosos talentos

is for us all to put ourselves

é colocarnos

in the zone of stimulation that is right for us.

na zona de estimulación máis adecuada para cada un.

But now here's where the bias comes in.

Pero aquí é onde entra o prexuízo.

Our most important institutions,

As nosas institucións máis importantes,

our schools and our workplaces,

as nosas escolas e lugares de traballo,

they are designed mostly for extroverts

están deseñados sobre todo para extravertidos

and for extroverts' need for lots of stimulation.

e as súas grandes necesidades de estimulación.

And also we have this belief system right now

E tamén termos hoxe en día este sistema de conviccións

that I call the new groupthink,

que eu chamo o novo pensamento de grupo,

which holds that all creativity and all productivity

que defende que toda creatividade e toda produtividade

comes from a very oddly gregarious place.

veñen dun lugar estrañamente sociable.

So if you picture the typical classroom nowadays:

Imaxinen a típica aula escolar actual:

When I was going to school, we sat in rows.

Cando eu ía á escola, sentabamos en filas.

We sat in rows of desks like this,

Sentabamos en filas de pupitres coma este,

and we did most of our work pretty autonomously.

e traballabamos de forma bastante autónoma.

But nowadays, your typical classroom has pods of desks --

Pero na actualidade, a típica aula ten escritorios, agrupados...

four or five or six or seven kids all facing each other.

catro, cinco, seis ou sete rapaces uns fronte aos outros.

And kids are working in countless group assignments.

Os rapaces traballan en incontables tarefas de grupo.

Even in subjects like math and creative writing,

Mesmo en materias como matemáticas e escritura creativa.

which you think would depend on solo flights of thought,

que se podería pensar que dependen de deixar voar os pensamentos a soas,

kids are now expected to act as committee members.

espérase que os rapaces actúen como os membros dun comité.

And for the kids who prefer to go off by themselves or just to work alone,

E aos rapaces que prefiren ir ao seu aire ou traballar sós,

those kids are seen as outliers often

adoitan consideralos como atípicos

or, worse, as problem cases.

ou peor, como casos problemáticos.

And the vast majority of teachers

E a gran maioría do profesorado

reports believing that the ideal student is an extrovert

cren que o estudante ideal é o extravertido

as opposed to an introvert,

e non o introvertido,

even though introverts actually get better grades

aínda que estes teñan mellores notas

and are more knowledgeable,

e sexan mais cultos,

according to research.

segundo as investigacións.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Okay, same thing is true in our workplaces.

O mesmo ocorre nos lugares de traballo.

Now, most of us work in open plan offices,

Agora, case todos nós traballamos en oficinas abertas,

without walls,

sen paredes,

where we are subject to the constant noise and gaze of our coworkers.

onde estamos suxeitos ao ruído e a mirada constante dos compañeiros.

And when it comes to leadership,

E cando se trata de liderado,

introverts are routinely passed over for leadership positions,

normalmente exclúese aos introvertidos dos postos de liderado,

even though introverts tend to be very careful,

a pesar de que tenden a ser moi prudentes,

much less likely to take outsize risks --

moito menos dados a asumir riscos excesivos...

which is something we might all favor nowadays.

algo do que todos deberiamos ser partidarios.

And interesting research by Adam Grant at the Wharton School

Unha investigación interesante de Adam Grant da Wharton School

has found that introverted leaders

descubriu que os líderes introvertidos

often deliver better outcomes than extroverts do,

a miúdo teñen mellores resultados ca os extravertidos,

because when they are managing proactive employees,

porque cando dirixen empregados proactivos,

they're much more likely to let those employees run with their ideas,

son máis propensos a deixar a eses empregados executar as súas ideas,

whereas an extrovert can, quite unwittingly,

mentres que alguén extravertido pode, involuntariamente,

get so excited about things

emocionarse tanto coas cousas

that they're putting their own stamp on things,

como para poñer a súa propia pegada nelas,

and other people's ideas might not as easily then bubble up to the surface.

e as ideas dos outros pode que non broten con tanta facilidade á superficie.

Now in fact, some of our transformative leaders in history have been introverts.

De feito, algúns dos líderes que cambiaron a nosa historia eran introvertidos.

I'll give you some examples.

Voulles dar algúns exemplos.

Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Gandhi --

Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, Gandhi...

all these people described themselves as quiet and soft-spoken and even shy.

Todas estas persoas se describían como calmas, de voz suave e ata tímidas.

And they all took the spotlight,

e todos eles foron o centro de atención,

even though every bone in their bodies was telling them not to.

mesmo cando cada oso do seu corpo lles dicía que non o fixesen.

And this turns out to have a special power all its own,

E isto parece ter un poder especial en si mesmo,

because people could feel that these leaders were at the helm

porque se podería pensar que estes líderes estaban ao temón

not because they enjoyed directing others

non porque lles gustase mandar nos demais

and not out of the pleasure of being looked at;

e non polo pracer de que os mirasen;

estaban alí porque non tiñan elección,

they were there because they had no choice,

because they were driven to do what they thought was right.

porque se viron obrigados a facer o que pensaban que era correcto.

Now I think at this point it's important for me to say

Neste punto penso que para min é importante dicir

that I actually love extroverts.

que realmente adoro os extravertidos.

I always like to say some of my best friends are extroverts,

Sempre digo que algúns dos meus mellores amigos

including my beloved husband.

son extravertidos,

incluíndo o meu querido marido.

And we all fall at different points, of course,

E todos nos atopamos en distintos puntos

along the introvert/extrovert spectrum.

ao longo do espectro introvertido/extravertido.

Even Carl Jung, the psychologist who first popularized these terms,

Ata Carl Jung, o primeiro psicólogo que popularizou estes termos,

said that there's no such thing as a pure introvert

dixo que non existe un introvertido puro

or a pure extrovert.

ou un extravertido puro.

He said that such a man would be in a lunatic asylum,

Dixo que unha persoa así estaría nun manicomio

if he existed at all.

se existise.

And some people fall smack in the middle of the introvert/extrovert spectrum,

Algunhas persoas están xusto no medio do espectro introvertido/extravertido,

and we call these people ambiverts.

a estas persoas chamámoslles ambivertidas.

And I often think that they have the best of all worlds.

Adoito pensar que teñen o mellor dos dous mundos.

But many of us do recognize ourselves as one type or the other.

Pero moitos de nós recoñecémonos nun tipo ou noutro.

And what I'm saying is that culturally, we need a much better balance.

O que digo é que culturalmente cómpre un mellor equilibrio.

We need more of a yin and yang between these two types.

Precisamos de máis ying e yang entre estes dous tipos.

This is especially important

Isto é especialmente importante

when it comes to creativity and to productivity,

no referente á creatividade e á produtividade

because when psychologists look at the lives of the most creative people,

porque cando os psicólogos observan a vida da maioría das persoas creativas,

what they find

o que atopan

are people who are very good at exchanging ideas

é xente que é moi boa intercambiando ideas

and advancing ideas,

e desenvolvendo ideas,

but who also have a serious streak of introversion in them.

pero que tamén teñen trazos evidentes de introversión.

And this is because solitude

E isto é así porque a soidade

is a crucial ingredient often to creativity.

moitas veces é un ingrediente crucial para a creatividade.

So Darwin,

Así, Darwin daba longos paseos polo bosque

he took long walks alone in the woods

and emphatically turned down dinner-party invitations.

e declinaba categoricamente convites para cear.

Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss,

Theodor Geisel, mais coñecido como Doutor Seuss,

he dreamed up many of his amazing creations

ideaba moitas das súas incribles creacións

in a lonely bell tower office that he had

nunha oficina solitaria nun campanario

in the back of his house in La Jolla, California.

na parte de atrás da súa casa en la Jolla, California.

And he was actually afraid to meet the young children who read his books

E en realidade tiña medo de coñecer os rapaces que lían os seus libros

for fear that they were expecting him this kind of jolly Santa Claus-like figure

por medo a que esperasen que fose un personaxe alegre como Papá Noel

and would be disappointed with his more reserved persona.

e que quedasen decepcionados coa súa personalidade reservada.

Steve Wozniak invented the first Apple computer

Steve Wozniak inventou o primeiro ordenador Apple

sitting alone in his cubicle in Hewlett-Packard

sentado só no seu cubículo na Hewlett-Packard

where he was working at the time.

onde traballaba daquela.

And he says that he never would have become such an expert in the first place

E di que nunca se convertería nun experto en primeiro lugar

had he not been too introverted to leave the house

se non fose demasiado introvertido para saír da casa

cando era máis novo.

when he was growing up.

Now, of course,

Desde logo,

this does not mean that we should all stop collaborating --

isto non significa que debamos deixar de colaborar

and case in point, is Steve Wozniak famously coming together with Steve Jobs

—un bo exemplo é a famosa asociación de Steve Wozniack con Steve Jobs

to start Apple Computer --

para fundar Apple Computer—

but it does mean that solitude matters

pero significa que a soidade importa

and that for some people it is the air that they breathe.

e que para algunhas persoas é o aire que respiran.

And in fact, we have known for centuries about the transcendent power of solitude.

De feito, sabemos dende hai séculos do poder transcendente da soidade.

It's only recently that we've strangely begun to forget it.

Non foi ata hai pouco que, estrañamente, comezamos a esquecelo.

If you look at most of the world's major religions,

Se miramos na maioría das relixión do mundo,

you will find seekers --

encontramos indagadores

Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad --

—Moisés, Xesús, Buda, Mahoma—

seekers who are going off by themselves alone to the wilderness,

indagadores que van sós ao deserto,

where they then have profound epiphanies and revelations

onde teñen entón profundas epifanías e revelacións

that they then bring back to the rest of the community.

que depois traen ao resto da comunidade.

So, no wilderness, no revelations.

Así que sen deserto non hai revelacións.

This is no surprise, though,

Isto non é sorpresa,

if you look at the insights of contemporary psychology.

se miramos as ideas da psicoloxía contemporánea.

It turns out that we can't even be in a group of people

Parece que non podemos nin estar nun grupo de persoas

without instinctively mirroring, mimicking their opinions.

sen imitar as súas opinións de forma instintiva.

Even about seemingly personal and visceral things

Mesmo en cousas aparentemente persoais e viscerais

like who you're attracted to,

como quen nos atrae,

you will start aping the beliefs of the people around you

comezamos a imitar as crenzas das persoas do noso arredor

without even realizing that that's what you're doing.

sen darnos nin conta do que estamos a facer.

And groups famously follow the opinions

E os grupos, como se sabe, seguen as opinións

of the most dominant or charismatic person in the room,

da persoa máis dominante ou carismática,

even though there's zero correlation

mesmo aínda que non haxa correlación

between being the best talker and having the best ideas --

entre ser o mellor orador e ter as mellores ideas.

I mean zero.

Quero dicir ningunha.

So --

Así que...

(Laughter)

(Risas)

You might be following the person with the best ideas,

Poderías estar seguindo a persoa de mellores ideas,

but you might not.

pero se cadra, non.

And do you really want to leave it up to chance?

E realmente queres deixalo ao azar?

Much better for everybody to go off by themselves,

Sería moito mellor para todos ir pola súa conta,

generate their own ideas

xerando ideas propias

freed from the distortions of group dynamics,

libres das distorsións das dinámicas de grupo

and then come together as a team

e despois reunirse como un equipo

to talk them through in a well-managed environment

para discutilas detidamente nun ambiente ben xestionado

and take it from there.

e partir de aí.

Now if all this is true,

Agora, se todo isto é certo,

then why are we getting it so wrong?

por que o facemos tan mal?

Por que organizamos as escolas e os locais de traballo así?

Why are we setting up our schools this way, and our workplaces?

E por que lles facemos aos introvertidos sentirse tan culpables

And why are we making these introverts feel so guilty

about wanting to just go off by themselves some of the time?

por querer ir pola súa conta nalgún momento?

One answer lies deep in our cultural history.

Unha das respostas está no máis profundo da nosa historia cultural.

Western societies,

As sociedades occidentais,

and in particular the U.S.,

en particular os EEUU,

have always favored the man of action over the "man" of contemplation.

sempre favoreceron o home de acción respecto do home de contemplación.

But in America's early days,

Pero nos EEUU dos primeiros tempos,

we lived in what historians call a culture of character,

viviamos no que os historiadores chaman cultura do carácter,

where we still, at that point, valued people

cando aínda valorizabamos as persoas

for their inner selves and their moral rectitude.

polo seu interior e a súa rectitude moral.

And if you look at the self-help books from this era,

E se miran os libros de autoaxuda desa época,

they all had titles with things like

todos teñen títulos como

"Character, the Grandest Thing in the World."

Carácter, a cousa máis grandiosa do mundo.

And they featured role models like Abraham Lincoln,

E presentaban modelos a seguir como o de Abraham Lincoln,

who was praised for being modest and unassuming.

eloxiado por ser modesto e sen pretensións.

Ralph Waldo Emerson called him

Ralph Waldo Emerson chamoulle

"A man who does not offend by superiority."

"Un home que non ofende amosando superioridade."

But then we hit the 20th century,

Mais despois chegamos ao século XX

and we entered a new culture

e entramos nunha nova cultura

that historians call the culture of personality.

que os historiadores chaman cultura da personalidade

What happened is we had evolved an agricultural economy

O que sucedeu foi que evolucionamos dunha economía agrícola

to a world of big business.

a un mundo de grandes negocios,

And so suddenly people are moving from small towns to the cities.

De repente, as persoas trasládanse das vilas ás cidades.

And instead of working alongside people they've known all their lives,

E en vez de traballar con persoas que coñecían de toda a vida,

now they are having to prove themselves in a crowd of strangers.

agora teñen que demostrar o que valen nun grupo de descoñecidos.

So, quite understandably,

Entón, é comprensible,

qualities like magnetism and charisma suddenly come to seem really important.

calidades como o magnetismo e o carisma de repente parecen moi importantes.

And sure enough, the self-help books change to meet these new needs

E os libros de autoaxuda cambian para satisfacer estas novas necesidades

and they start to have names

e comezan a ter nomes

like "How to Win Friends and Influence People."

como Como facer amigos e influír nas persoas.

And they feature as their role models really great salesmen.

E presentan como modelo a seguir a grandes vendedores.

So that's the world we're living in today.

Velaquí o mundo en que vivimos hoxe.

That's our cultural inheritance.

Esa é a nosa herdanza cultural.

Now none of this is to say that social skills are unimportant,

Isto non implica que as habilidades sociais non sexan importantes,

and I'm also not calling for the abolishing of teamwork at all.

tampouco chamo en absoluto á abolición do traballo en equipo.

The same religions who send their sages off to lonely mountain tops

As mesmas relixións que envían os seus sabios

ás solitarias cimas das montañas

also teach us love and trust.

tamén nos ensinan amor e confianza.

And the problems that we are facing today

E os problemas que afrontamos hoxe

in fields like science and in economics

en campos como a ciencia e a economía

are so vast and so complex

son tan vastos e complexos

that we are going to need armies of people coming together

que imos precisar exércitos de persoas

traballando xuntas para resolvelos.

to solve them working together.

But I am saying that the more freedom that we give introverts to be themselves,

Pero canta máis liberdade lles deamos aos introvertidos de ser eles mesmos,

the more likely that they are

máis probable será

to come up with their own unique solutions to these problems.

que descubran as súas propias solucións a estes problemas.

So now I'd like to share with you what's in my suitcase today.

Agora gustaríame compartir con vostedes o que traio na miña maleta hoxe.

Guess what?

Adiviñan o que?

Books.

Libros.

I have a suitcase full of books.

Teño unha maleta chea de libros.

Here's Margaret Atwood, "Cat's Eye."

Aquí está Ollo de gato de Margaret Atwood,

Here's a novel by Milan Kundera.

Aquí unha novela de Milan Kundera.

And here's "The Guide for the Perplexed" by Maimonides.

E aquí a Guía de perplexos de Maimónides.

But these are not exactly my books.

Pero estes non son exactamente os meus libros.

I brought these books with me

Trouxen estes libros comigo

because they were written by my grandfather's favorite authors.

porque os escribiron os autores favoritos de meu avó.

My grandfather was a rabbi

Meu avó era rabino

and he was a widower

who lived alone in a small apartment in Brooklyn

e era viúvo

e vivía só nun pequeno apartamento en Brooklyn

that was my favorite place in the world when I was growing up,

que era o meu lugar favorito do mundo cando era pequena,

partly because it was filled with his very gentle, very courtly presence

en parte porque estaba cheo da súa presencia xentil e cortés

and partly because it was filled with books.

e en parte porque estaba cheo de libros.

I mean literally every table, every chair in this apartment

Literalmente cada mesa, cada cadeira deste apartamento

had yielded its original function

cedera a súa función orixinal

to now serve as a surface for swaying stacks of books.

e agora servía como apoio para oscilantes rimas de libros.

Just like the rest of my family,

Coma ao resto da miña familia,

my grandfather's favorite thing to do in the whole world was to read.

a actividade favorita do meu avó no mundo enteiro era ler.

But he also loved his congregation,

Pero el tamén amaba a súa congregación,

and you could feel this love in the sermons that he gave

e ese amor podíase sentir nos sermóns que daba cada semana

every week for the 62 years that he was a rabbi.

durante os 62 anos que foi rabino.

He would takes the fruits of each week's reading

Tomaba os froitos da lectura de cada semana e tecía

and he would weave

estes intricados tapices de pensamento antigo e humanista.

these intricate tapestries of ancient and humanist thought.

And people would come from all over to hear him speak.

E a xente viña de todas partes para oílo falar.

But here's the thing about my grandfather.

Pero velaí o especial do meu avó.

Underneath this ceremonial role,

he was really modest and really introverted --

Tras deste papel cerimonial,

era moi modesto e moi introvertido...

so much so that when he delivered these sermons,

tanto que cando daba estes sermóns,

he had trouble making eye contact

tiña problemas para establecer contacto visual

with the very same congregation that he had been speaking to for 62 years.

coa propia congregación á que lle levaba falando 62 anos.

And even away from the podium,

E mesmo lonxe do podio,

when you called him to say hello,

cando o chamaban para saudalo,

he would often end the conversation prematurely

con frecuencia acababa a conversa prematuramente

for fear that he was taking up too much of your time.

por medo a estarche roubando tempo.

But when he died at the age of 94,

Pero cando morreu con 94 anos,

the police had to close down the streets of his neighborhood

a policía tivo que pechar as rúas da súa veciñanza

to accommodate the crowd of people who came out to mourn him.

para acomodar a multitude de persoas que viñeron chorar por el.

And so these days I try to learn from my grandfather's example

E así estes días intento aprender do exemplo de meu avó

in my own way.

á miña maneira.

So I just published a book about introversion,

Así que acabo de publicar un libro sobre a introversión,

and it took me about seven years to write.

e levoume 7 anos escribilo.

And for me, that seven years was like total bliss,

E para min, eses 7 anos foron como una bendición total,

because I was reading, I was writing,

porque estiven lendo, estiven escribindo.

I was thinking, I was researching.

Estiven pensando, estiven investigando.

It was my version

Foi a miña versión

of my grandfather's hours of the day alone in his library.

das horas que pasou meu avó el só na súa biblioteca.

But now all of a sudden my job is very different,

Pero agora, de repente, o meu traballo é moi distinto,

and my job is to be out here talking about it,

e consiste en estar aquí falando diso,

talking about introversion.

falando sobre introversión.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

And that's a lot harder for me,

E iso éme moito máis difícil,

because as honored as I am to be here with all of you right now,

pois, por máis honrada que me sinta de estar aquí e agora con todos vostedes,

this is not my natural milieu.

este non é o meu medio natural.

So I prepared for moments like these as best I could.

Entón eu prepareime para momentos coma este o mellor que puiden.

I spent the last year practicing public speaking

Pasei o último ano practicando para falar en público

every chance I could get.

cada vez que podía.

And I call this my "year of speaking dangerously."

E chameille a isto o meu "ano de falar perigosamente."

(Laughter)

(Risas)

And that actually helped a lot.

E iso en realidade axudoume moito.

But I'll tell you, what helps even more

Pero direilles que o que me axuda máis

is my sense, my belief, my hope that when it comes to our attitudes

é o meu sentido, a miña crenza, a esperanza en que no que toca

ás nosas actitudes cara á introversión, a calma e a soidade,

to introversion and to quiet and to solitude,

we truly are poised on the brink on dramatic change.

estamos de veras ao bordo dun cambio drástico.

I mean, we are.

And so I am going to leave you now

Dígoo en serio.

with three calls for action for those who share this vision.

E agora vounos deixar

con 3 chamadas á acción para os que comparten esta visión.

Number one:

Número un:

Stop the madness for constant group work.

Deteñan a loucura do constante traballo en grupo.

Just stop it.

Simplemente detéñana.

(Laughter)

(Risas)

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

And I want to be clear about what I'm saying,

E quero ser clara no que estou a dicir,

because I deeply believe our offices

porque creo de verdade que as nosas oficinas

should be encouraging casual, chatty cafe-style types of interactions --

deberían animar as interaccións do tipo de charla informal de café...

you know, the kind where people come together

desas en que as persoas se reúnen

and serendipitously have an exchange of ideas.

e intercambian ideas de maneira espontánea.

That is great.

Iso é xenial.

It's great for introverts and it's great for extroverts.

Xenial para introvertidos e extravertidos.

But we need much more privacy and much more freedom

Pero precisamos moita máis privacidade e máis liberdade

and much more autonomy at work.

e máis autonomía no traballo.

School, same thing.

E tamén na escola.

We need to be teaching kids to work together, for sure,

Debemos ensinar os nenos a traballar xuntos, desde logo,

but we also need to be teaching them how to work on their own.

pero tamén debemos ensinarlles como traballar pola súa conta.

This is especially important for extroverted children too.

É especialmente importante para os nenos extravertidos.

They need to work on their own

Necesitan traballar sós

because that is where deep thought comes from in part.

porque de aí proveñen en parte os pensamentos profundos.

Okay, number two: Go to the wilderness.

Número dous: vaian ao deserto.

Be like Buddha, have your own revelations.

Sexan como Buda, teñan as súas propias revelacións.

I'm not saying

Non digo

that we all have to now go off and build our own cabins in the woods

que todos teñamos que marchar e construír cabanas propias nos bosques

and never talk to each other again,

e non volver falar con ninguén,

but I am saying that we could all stand to unplug

o que digo é que todos poderiamos desconectar

and get inside our own heads a little more often.

e entrar nas nosas propias cabezas un pouco máis a miúdo.

Number three:

Número tres:

Take a good look at what's inside your own suitcase

Miren con atención o que hai dentro da súa maleta

and why you put it there.

e por que o puxeron aí.

So extroverts,

Así que extravertidos,

maybe your suitcases are also full of books.

quizais as vosas maletas están tamén cheas de libros.

Or maybe they're full of champagne glasses or skydiving equipment.

Ou cheas de copas de champaña ou dun equipo de paracaidismo.

Whatever it is, I hope you take these things out every chance you get

Sexa o que for, espero que o saquedes en cada oportunidade que teñades

and grace us with your energy and your joy.

e nos honredes coa vosa enerxía e felicidade.

But introverts, you being you,

Pero introvertidos, sendo como sodes,

you probably have the impulse to guard very carefully

probablemente teñades o impulso de gardar coidadosamente

what's inside your own suitcase.

o que está dentro da vosa maleta.

And that's okay.

E iso está ben.

But occasionally, just occasionally,

Pero de vez en cando, só de vez en cando,

I hope you will open up your suitcases for other people to see,

espero que abrades as vosas maletas para que outros as vexan,

because the world needs you and it needs the things you carry.

porque o mundo vos necesita e necesita as cousas que levades.

So I wish you the best of all possible journeys

Así que deséxovos a mellor de todas as viaxes posibles

and the courage to speak softly.

e o valor para falar de maneira sosegada.

Thank you very much.

Moitas grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

Thank you. Thank you.

Grazas. Grazas

(Applause)

(Aplausos)