Susan Cain

In an increasingly social world, Susan Cain shifts our focus to help us reconsider the role of introverts, outlining their many strengths and vital contributions. Like A Whole New Mind and Stumbling on Happiness, Cains book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts In a World That Can't Stop Talking, is a paradigm-changing lodestar that shows how dramatically our culture has come to misunderstand and undervalue introverts. You would think Cain, a Princeton and Harvard Law School-educated author, would be your typical, self-confident, pound-the-table kind of person; in fact, she's just the opposite. She'd rather read than socialize, and she thinks before she speaks (softly). But far from considering these disadvantageous traits, Cain owes her success to them.

Cain has practiced corporate law for seven years, representing clients like General Electric, and is a negotiations consultant, training everyone from hedge fund managers to TV producers to college grads navigating their first jobs. Cain has used her time in corporate boardrooms, together with her experience as both a student and teacher of negotiation, to create uniquely informative talks.