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Brain Circuits
Neither extrovert nor introvert. Why every team needs an ‘otrovert’
They stand slightly apart, ask awkward questions, shun office politics, and see things others miss. Olivia Lichtenstein offers a way to identify and utilize the otroverts in your team.
Rapid read
- Otroverts want to belong, but not if the price is losing the independence that allows them to see things differently.
- Every organization needs otroverts: those quietly standing at the edge of the room, reading the whole picture, and willing to challenge the status quo when needed.
- Otroverts are capable of being both observers and participants.
The otroverts
Coined by psychiatrist Rami Kaminski in 2025 and derived from the Latin root for “other” and “vert,” meaning “turn toward,” “otrovert” describes someone who doesn’t fit comfortably into the familiar categories of introvert or extrovert. Otroverts can appear confident yet rarely experience themselves as joiners. They move easily between groups without feeling defined by them. They stand slightly apart, but close enough to see what others miss.
Otroverts want to belong, but not if the price is losing the independence that allows them to see things differently. They value connection deeply but are reluctant to surrender their own judgment to become part of the crowd or to court popularity. There can be freedom in that position, although it can sometimes feel lonely.
Every organization needs an otrovert
Businesses rightly value people who create cohesion, but they also need individuals who can see the whole landscape. Otroverts are capable of being both observers and participants. Because they are less invested in belonging to a tribe, they can bridge departments and cultures. At times chameleon-like, they can enter different environments, quickly understand their culture and language, yet retain enough distance to see clearly.
Neither extrovert nor introvert... why your team needs an otrovert.
And, having spent much of their lives reading rooms rather than dominating them, they often notice what is not being said as much as what is. They ask awkward questions and are willing to speak truth to authority because they do not by nature tend to seek power.
How to identify an otrovert
Invite your team members individually to complete the questionnaire – and do it yourself for comparison.Look at the pattern of the answers. Do they fall predominantly in columns three and four? If so, it’s likely that otrovert tendencies are at play.
If someone on your team (or you) answers yes to seven or more of these statements, otrovert tendencies are likely at play.
Having spent much of their lives reading rooms rather than dominating them, otroverts often notice what is not being said as much as what is.
Eight ways otroverts can help your team
Organizations and leaders can harness the unique value of otroverts in several ways. Consider asking them to carry out the following roles:
- Assist colleagues who struggle to understand one another.
- Detect patterns and question assumptions.
- Spot blind spots and surface unseen risks.
- Ask awkward questions when others may stay silent.
- Bridge departments, disciplines, and cultures.
- Challenge old ways of doing things and groupthink.
- Test ideas and plans before launch.
- Bring original perspectives to the table.
Every organization needs people who foster a sense of belonging. They also need otroverts: those quietly standing at the edge of the room, reading the whole picture, and willing to challenge the status quo when needed.
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