Barbara Corcoran Says Having These 2 Types of People in Your Business Is an 'Unbeatable Combination' The "Shark Tank" star shared her thoughts on the benefits of having both extrovert and introvert employees in business.
By Emily Rella Edited by Melissa Malamut
Key Takeaways
- Barbara Corcoran posted an Instagram video on Tuesday highlighting the differences between introverts and extroverts in business.
- Corcoran, a self-described extrovert, explained how hiring her business partner, Esther Kaplan, (an introvert) helped organize the business.
- The duo ran the Corcoran Group together until 2000.
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Barbara Corcoran is well-known as a bubbly spitfire who isn't afraid to speak her mind, especially on "Shark Tank."
But you don't need to be as extroverted as Corcoran to be successful in business. In fact, in a new Instagram post on Tuesday, Corcoran said that every successful business needs an introvert and an extrovert to make decisions.
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The real estate maven says her founding business partner at the Corcoran Group, Esther Kaplan, was an "extreme introvert" and explained how she divided up the delegations in the business based on whose strengths played best to different roles.
"I did all the categories, the recruiting, the sales, the marketing, everything that a great extrovert naturally does well," Corcoran explained. "And she did the control, the systems, the banking, the legal, everything that I couldn't do. And together, we were a fabulous team."
Corcoran called the combination of extrovert and introvert in leadership an "unbeatable combination."
The "Shark Tank" star spoke last September about her decision to hire Kaplan back in 1973 in an Instagram video, when she admitted that she almost didn't bring her on at first because she was so soft-spoken — until she looked inside her purse and saw how organized she was.
Related: Barbara Corcoran Asks These 3 Questions Before Hiring Someone New
"She had the tiniest tidiest filing system I ever saw, with partitions that were labeled all inside her purse. With a mind like that, I knew I wanted my business in her purse," Corcoran said. "I opened a position for her on the spot and told her I was eager to take her under my wing and teach her everything she needed to know to sell."
The pair ran the Corcoran Group together until Pamela Liebman took over from Kaplan and Corcoran as President and CEO of the company in 2000.
