Stefan Falk, a leadership consultant who studies workplace psychology, has spent more than 30 years helping thousands of individuals and CEOs at multimillion-dollar organizations.

He has always been observant of the different personalities that he works with, noting that during team meetings, extroverts always jumped in first, eager to lead the conversation. They often brought energy, but not much more. The people who earned his trust were the ones who listened and then spoke with precision. Almost every time, they were the introverts.

To understand why introverts often communicate — and execute — more effectively, you need to understand that their brains work differently: It often resists discomfort, but it also performs best when it’s forced to confront that discomfort.

Here are five phrases introverts use that make them more successful than extroverts:

1. ‘I honestly don’t know.’

So much time gets wasted when people pretend to understand, derail conversations with vague statements, or stay silent while decisions move forward based on shaky assumptions.

2. ‘I’m probably missing something. What’s your take on it?’

In most organizations, people compete to have all the answers, especially within their own area of responsibility. The cost? Missed input and limited collaboration.

3. ’I’ve spent some time looking into this, and...”

Many people feel the need to talk up the effort they’ve put in, often to mask incomplete work or to protect their status and territory.

4. ‘I’d rather pause here than make assumptions. Let’s dig deeper.’

In today’s business world, there’s immense pressure to move quickly and appear decisive. But teams that skip over ambiguity or bluff their way through uncertainty end up chasing the wrong problems.

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