Nest CEO on culture of Apple vs. Google

Tony Fadell has worked for Apple and now is part of Google as a CEO of Nest. He describes the differences in the cultures of the two tech giants.

 

INSIDE GOOGLE BILLION DOLLAR AIRFIELD

How to bargain shop for stocks

Call it a "crude awakening." Energy stocks plunged Friday after OPEC announced no cuts in production, a decision that sent oil prices crashing to their lowest levels since May 2010.

Shares of Dow components Exxon Mobil (XOM) and Chevron (CVX) fell 4% and 5%, respectively. And they were among the better performers in the sector.
Oil driller Transocean (RIG) plummeted 10%. So did oil services giants Schlumberger (SLB) and Halliburton (HAL).
Energy prices have been on a slip and slide ride for the past few months due to concerns about sluggish demand out of Europe and an economic slowdown in China.
But the supply part of the equation is also a bit out of whack lately. The United States has boosted its output of oil thanks to the shale gas boom in North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Texas and other states.

Oil stocks have plunged along with crude prices.

It has been reported that Saudi Arabia and several other OPEC members in the Persian Gulf region were not in favor of oil production cuts partly because lower prices could make it tougher for U.S. energy companies to compete in the global market.
Natural gas takes hit too: It should be no surprise that shares of several natural gas companies in the U.S. fell hard Friday too. Chesapeake Energy (CHK), EOG (EOG) and Devon Energy (DVN) were all down nearly 10%. Newfield Exploration (NFX) and Denbury Resources (DNR), the two worst performers in the S&P 500 Friday, dropped more than 15%. Continental Resources (CLR) tumbled 20%.
If oil prices continue to slide, energy stocks are going to suffer for a prolonged period unless they take some dramatic steps.
Related: Black Friday's real deal: Cheap gas
One driller, Norwegian-based SeaDrill (SDRL), announced Wednesday that it was halting its dividend payment to conserve cash. Shares plunged more than 23% on the news and several other drillers, including Transocean, Noble (NE), Ensco (ESV) and Diamond Offshore (DO) all fell sharply as well.
Lower crude prices could also spark a wave of consolidation in the energy sector as companies seek to cut costs. Halliburton has already agreed to buy rival Baker Hughes (BHI) for nearly $35 billion.
Cheap gas is good for these stocks: Even though oil stocks were getting absolutely destroyed on Friday, the broader market continued to march higher. And it was led by two sectors that should benefit from the decline in energy prices ... at least temporarily.
Airline stocks were soaring Friday. Southwest (LUV), which is the best performer in the S&P 500 this year, gained nearly 8%. Delta (DAL), JetBlue (JBLU), United Continental (UAL), American Airlines (AAL) and recently public Virgin America (VA) were also dramatically higher. The rationale is simple. Lower jet fuel prices should lead to bigger profits for the airlines.
Related: Black Friday bargain: Airline stocks
Retailers popped as well. With shoppers hitting the stores on Black Friday (and even on Thanksgiving) the hope is that consumers will feel more flush since they won't have to pay as much at the pump to refuel their cars.
Shares of WalMart (WMT), Target (TGT), Best Buy (BBY) and Macy's (M) enjoyed a nice bump, as did online retail king Amazon (AMZN, Tech30).
Still, investors and consumers need to be careful about what they wish for. If energy prices keep falling, that could hurt the U.S. economy if it leads to an end of the shale bonanza. And while more bad economic news from Europe and China could also put pressure on oil prices in the short-term, that's not good news for anyone longer-term,
Remember how low oil and gas prices got in 2008 and early 2009? Anyone want to go through another Great Recession again?
I didn't think so.

Gun sales boom on Black Friday: Almost 3 background checks per second

The busiest shopping day of the year also saw a major boom for gun sales, with the federal background check system expected to set a record of more than 144,000 background checks Friday, according to the FBI.

The staggering number of checks -- an average of almost three per second, nearly three times the daily average -- falls on the shoulders of 600 FBI and contract call center employees who will endure 17-hour workdays in an attempt to complete the background reviews in three business days, as required by law, FBI spokesman Stephen Fischer said.

"Traditionally, Black Friday is one of our busiest days for transaction volume," Fischer said.

On average, more than 500 gun background checks a day fail because of incomplete information required for a decision, according to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which is responsible for checks on firearm purchases from federally licensed shops.

Officials estimate that about 3,000, or 2%, of the more than 144,000 Black Friday background checks will not be completed because of insufficient information from records such as court documents.

Employees of the background check agency, who work every day but Christmas, will work through the weekend to vet Friday's purchases.

As of 2 p.m. Friday, the agency had processed more than 94,000 transactions, on pace to surpass last year's 144,758, Fischer said

"We are averaging three checks per second," he said. "The challenge is to have staff keep up with this volume. We do that by limiting personal leave, asking employees to work extra shifts and reutilizing former ... employees to serve in NICS during this busy period."

The agency brings in 100 extra employees to deal with the increase.

"This means saving lives and protecting people from harm -- by not letting guns fall into the wrong hands," FBI Manager Kimberly Del Greco said in a statement. "It also ensures the timely transfer of firearms to eligible gun buyers."

Opinion: Black Friday's liability risk for stores

Overall, about 186,000 background checks a year cannot be completed, according to the FBI. It's difficult to know exactly how many gun sales are authorized from that number because whether to make the sale is ultimately in the hands of the shop owner.

Last year, the agency completed 21 million background checks, and about 1.1% of those purchases were denied, the agency said.

Firearm background checks have doubled from the more than 9 million conducted when the system was implemented in 1999.

Ten factors can disqualify a purchase: felony conviction, arrest warrant, documented drug problem, mental illness, undocumented immigration status, dishonorable military discharge, renunciation of U.S. citizenship, restraining order, history of domestic violence or indictment for any crime punishable by longer than one year of prison.

Gun purchasers are required to fill out a form from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with basic identification information and questions about the 10 disqualifying factors.

The history of Black Friday

The gun shop can read the information to the background check agency over the phone or run the information through a secure Internet connection. The check sometimes involves calling courthouses to get records and dispositions.

"We won't make a determination unless we are absolutely sure," Fischer said.

However, the agency cannot deny a transaction based on an arrest without knowing the disposition of a case.

After the three business days have passed, completion of the sale becomes the prerogative of the licensed gun shop owner, according to the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1998

Fischer said major retailers such as Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods, Cabela's and Gander Mountain usually won't go through with the sale without complete information.

Injuries, arrests as 'Black Friday' shopping tradition spreads to UK

Injuries, arrests as America's 'Black Friday' shopping tradition spreads to UK

Customers fighting over discounted large television sets in the Black Friday sales at Asda's Wembley Superstore, London, Britain on 28 Nov 2014. 

Police and medics have issued pleas for calm after the U.S. tradition of "Black Friday" bargain-hunting hit the UK, with angry scuffles breaking out in superstores up and down the country. 

Just an average midnight in Thetford

 

World's most impressive metro stations

Half kaleidoscope, half metro station, Kaohsiung, Taiwan's, Formosa Boulevard station features the world's largest glass artwork.

One of Naples' so-called Metro Art Stations, Toledo station was designed around themes of water and light. Enormous dome lights, bathing the platforms in haunting blue, red and yellow, make Munich's otherwise ordinary Westfriedhof station roar. Newly opened Fulton Transit Center train station in lower Manhattan isn't for creatures of the dark -- at least during daylight hours. Jellyfish chandeliers add to the water theme of the Khalid Bin Al Waleed station beneath Dubai's BurJuman shopping center. Olaias station is a welcome leftover from Lisbon's 1998 world expo, which celebrated 500 years of Portuguese inventions.  London Underground might be the world's oldest metro but Westminster has to be one of the most futuristic-looking stations anywhere. The austere design opened days before the new millennium.Epic murals by artist Mario Toral cover the walls of Santiago's Universidad de Chile station, depicting Chile's historic struggles.Stockholm's central station gets stranger the further you descend, until you reach the cave-like platform level, with its abstract floral designs. Like a reminder of the things whizzing around beneath your feet, Zbigniew Peter Pininski's design for Bockenheimer Warte in Frankfurt, Germany, suggests a subway car that went off the rails.Called "Little Fosters" after their ubiquitous architect-creator, Norman Foster, these station entrances sum up Bilbao, Spain's, fondness for up-to-the-minute style.It's hard to stand out in a city as beautiful as Paris. The beaded Palais Royal -- Musée du Louvre metro entrance design from 2000 doesn't try to be meek.Russia's subway stations are among the world's most impressive. The 2011 Admiralteyskaya addition to St. Petersburg's system blends classic and modern design. This 2005 underground stop in Warsaw, Poland, named after U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, won a metro design award -- possibly from visiting UFOs. Actually, all of Prague's stations, not just Staromestska deserve a place here for the unforgettable dimpled wall design, different for each stop and just on the fun side of good taste.Life might be grim in North Korea, but Pyongyang's metro stations aren't. Their opulence contrasts with the city's drab realities.

Extreme sports: Pushing the limits

A base jumper leaps from the 980-foot open deck of Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur Tower. Base jumping is an extreme sport in which participants leap from fixed objects and use parachutes to slow their falls. CNN's "Wish You Were Here" series takes you inside the lives of adventurous people all over the world.

 People watch a surfer ride a wave off the coast of Praia do Norte near Nazare, Portugal. The fishing village features a 16,000-foot-deep underwater canyon, churning up some of the largest and most dangerous waves on the planet. Today's big-wave surfers are often towed onto massive waves by jet skis or helicopters.

Adriana Jimenez competes in the finals of the 2014 Red Bull Cliff Diving Women's World Series, held in Yucatan, Mexico. Cliff divers will often hit the water at speeds over 50 mph.

 

 Ice climber Will Gadd ascends Helmcken Falls at Wells Gray Provincial Park in British Columbia, Canada. The 450-foot cascade never fully freezes, but it leaves a blanket of ice on the surrounding walls. It's considered one of the world's most difficult climbs.

Switzerland's Ueli Gegenschatz flies over Botafogo Bay in Rio de Janeiro. The special wingsuit he's wearing allows skydivers and base jumpers to soar through the sky with their arms spread open.

  Mexican kayaker Rafa Ortiz drops over the 189-foot Palouse Falls in southeast Washington. He was the second person ever to paddle over the edge. American Tyler Bradt set a world record in 2009 when he successfully kayaked the falls.

  Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," scales a 610-foot skyscraper in Paris' La Defense district. Often forgoing ropes and harnesses, Robert has established himself as one of the world's best free solo climbers. He has racked up numerous arrests and a few serious injuries along the way.

Dean Potter walks high above the air at the Three Gossips in Utah's Arches National Park. Unlike tightrope walking, highliners must maintain their balance on a slack line instead of a taut one. Potter has completed a number of highline crossings without safety equipment.

 A motocross rider performs during a show in Ashkelon, Israel. Freestyle motocross involves high-flying stunts meant to impress judges.

Freeskier Ted Davenport soars over Mount Aspiring National Park in Wanaka, New Zealand. Speed riding, aka speed flying, combines freestyle skiing and paragliding for a fast, thrilling ride close to the slope.

 

Roland Morely-Brown rides down a ridge during the 2011 World Heli Challenge at Wanaka's Mount Albert. In heli-skiing, skiers and snowboarders travel by helicopter to areas not accessible by other means.

 Freerider Kyle Strait competes in the 2014 Red Bull Rampage near Zion National Park in Virgin, Utah. Freeride mountain biking usually involves large drops, jumps and stunts.

 Cave divers explore the Orda Cave in Russia's western Urals region. Cave diving is one of the most dangerous kinds of diving or caving in the world and requires specialized equipment and training.

 Two men coast down the Cerro Negro volcano in Leon City, Nicaragua. The Cerro Negro is one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes, and it is a popular spot for the young sport of volcano boarding, or volcano surfing.

 A paraglider flies over the Oster-Jansjon lake in Are, Sweden. In the right conditions, paragliding flights can last for hours and reach thousands of feet in altitude.

7 of the world's most beautiful lakeside lodges

Who needs a beach? Casa Palopo overlooks Guatemala's Lake Atitlan and its three surrounding volcanoes.

Unsung, unspoiled and with room for only a handful of guests, Casa Palopo overlooks Guatemala's volcano-embellished Lake Atitlan.

Villa interiors match the vivid colors associated with Guatemalan culture, with handwoven textiles and brightly painted walls throughout.

Guests are served a traditional Guatemalan breakfast of black beans, eggs and plantains on the villas' private terraces, which offer prime views of the lake's three volcanoes -- Toliman, Atitlan and San Pedro.

There are no TVs here -- all you can hear are the breeze and the birds -- but Wi-Fi is available to facilitate the endless Instagrammable moments.

Guests can take a boat from the Casa's private dock to visit the lakeside town of San Juan, where Mayan women dye and weave traditional textiles.

 Explora Patagonia's Ona Bathhouses have four open-air Jacuzzis with views of Lake Pehoe and the Cordillera del Paine mountain ridge.   Mirror Lake Inn, a 125-year-old hotel that's housed Olympic athletes, features wrap-around private balconies.   Times have changed since Queen Victoria stayed here in 1838. Hotel Royal Victoria on Lake Como, Italy, now offers two-person chromotherapy showers and Wi-Fi.   Guests at the Moraine Lake Lodge in Canada's Banff National Park enjoy the Rocky Mountains and glacial blue lake from private balconies.    Privacy is easy to come by at the four-room Lake Timara Lodge in New Zealand. Meals are paired with wine from the lodge's backyard winery or sizable cellar.  Once home to Yugoslavian leader Josip Tito, Slovenia's Vila Bled offers views of the 17th-century church on Lake Bled Island. You can stay in Tito's apartment, now fitted with a massage tub. 

Prime perk: The hotel's helipad is available if you want to fly in via chopper, allowing you to get stunning views of the rolling landscape.

Casa Palopo, Carretera a San Antonio Palopo, km 6.8, San Antonio Palopo, Guatemala; +502 7762 2270; from $140 per night

MORE: 14 coolest hotel perks across Latin America

Cozy, 1920's-style rooms overlook Lake Timara, the Richmond Range mountains and a 25-acre garden.

Lake Timara Lodge (Marlborough, New Zealand)

For intimacy it's hard to beat the four-room Lake Timara Lodge, located in New Zealand's premier wine region.

Country-style rooms with 1920s decor overlook the lake, Richmond Range mountains or 25-acre gardens -- you can pick your preferred vista.

A short walk away, nine varieties of grapes are waiting to be tasted at the 400-acre Spy Valley Winery.

The region's sauvignon blanc is particularly famous.

The chef's menu includes fresh fish from the Marlborough Sounds, lobster, lamb and herbs from the lodge's garden.

Rowboats are available for a lap around the lake and there's a tennis court on the grounds.

Prime perk: Four-course garden-to-table meals are paired with wine from Timara's backyard winery or local vintages from its sizable cellar.

Lake Timara Lodge, Dog Point Road, RD 2, Marlborough, New Zealand; +64 3 572 8276; from $550 per person per night

MORE: Queenstown and beyond: Adventure, beauty, muttonbirds

Moraine Lake Lodge (Banff National Park, Canada)

In-room TVs and phones are a no-go at the Moraine Lake Lodge in Canada's Rocky Mountains, so if you're ready to disconnect and bask in the beauty of Banff, this is the place.

Cabin-chic premier rooms come with jetted Jacuzzi tubs, wood-burning fireplaces and private balconies overlooking the piercing glacial blue of Moraine Lake.

Lodge staff leave wood and kindling refills outside your door.

The dining room is known for being one of Banff National Park's top spots for gourmet food, offering dishes like fresh elk or buffalo carpaccio with roasted pine nuts.

Prime perk: Rates include a lake view breakfast buffet, canoeing and guided hikes with a resident naturalist -- the Banff Upper Hot Springs are within easy reach for a soak.

Moraine Lake Lodge, Moraine Lake Road, Alberta, Canada; +1 403 522 3733; Open June 1-September 30; from $500 per night

MORE: 5 must-play golf courses in the Canadian Rockies

Mirror Lake Inn offers a taste of luxury in the middle of Lake Placid.

Mirror Lake Inn (Lake Placid, New York)

You can tell a lot about a property by the way it greets its guests.

At the 125-year-old Mirror Lake Inn -- which housed Olympic athletes who came to the Adirondack area for the Winter Games in both 1932 and 1980 -- house-made chocolate chip cookies come with your room key.

Guests enjoy lake views through floor-to-ceiling windows from private balconies, where the scent of fresh wood smoke hangs in the air.

Dining is as first-rate as the views.

The Mirror Lake Inn brings in bacon cured at local farms and herbs are picked from the backyard garden.

In summer, canoes, kayaks, paddleboats and rowboats are available from the inn.

In winter, staff can set up a biathlon range (cross-country skiing plus target shooting) lesson for you.

Prime perk: Former Olympic runs are open for winter guests who want to take a slide down the bobsled or luge tracks, or ski Whiteface Mountain.

Mirror Lake Inn, 77 Mirror Lake Drive; +1 518 523 2544; from $239 per night

Hotel Royal Victoria (Lake Como, Italy)

If it feels like Hotel Royal Victoria is fit for a queen, that's because it is -- Queen Victoria slept in the property's Varenna villa in 1838 and the place was renamed in her honor.

Rooms have been modernized to accommodate today's regal traveler, offering perks like a two-person chromotherapy shower, Wi-Fi and minibar, but the hotel's 19th-century soul remains.

Lakefront suites feature a lounge area, fireplace and balcony with cafe-style table and chairs.

Nearby, Varenna's Castello di Vizio is a medieval castle turned falcon sanctuary.

You can also wander the nearby tiered terrace garden at Villa Cipressi.

Hotel Royal Victoria is also a stop on the Walking Italian Lakes Tour organized by VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, which will take you to a Coiromonte farm to savor fresh cheese and to Sacro Monte di Varese, a gorgeous 17th-century church.

Prime perk: The hotel offers full-day wine excursions to Valtellina, where you can taste wines made from dried Nebbiolo grapes.

Hotel Royal Victoria, Piazza S. Giorgio, 2, Varenna, Italy; +39 0341 815111; from $112 per night

Explora Patagonia (Chile)

If Patagonia is the leader in lakefront landscapes, then Explora in Chile's portion of the Andes is its crown jewel.

Located in the heart of Torres del Paine National Park, rooms at the all-inclusive Explora lodge overlook the shores of Lake Pehoe and open up to vistas of the Cordillera del Paine mountain ridge, or the famed Salto Chico waterfall.

Designed for silence and simplicity, rooms come with Wi-Fi and expansive windows that sub in for TVs.

The lodge's Ona Bathhouses have four open-air Jacuzzis offering views of the lake and mountain peaks.

Meals at the lodge are five-star and fixed to personal tastes, including Chilean wine pairings with meals.

Staff will help you pick from more than 50 day trips and send you out trekking, hiking or horseback riding with trained guides through ancient forests, gaucho territory or the Southern Ice Fields.

Prime perk: There's a heated, covered pool -- swims can be followed with an essential oil massage.

Explora Patagonia, Salto Chico, Chile; + 56 2 2395 2800; from $3,000 for four nights

MORE: 5 luxury vacations in Chile

Vila Bled (Lake Bled, Slovenia)

Once home to former Yugoslavian leader Marshal Josip Tito, Vila Bled is now a lakeside hideaway offering some of the best views around Slovenia's iconic Lake Bled.

The Presidential Suite (Tito's former apartment) is on the top floor of the villa and has two bedrooms, a living room and a study, plus two bathrooms and a massage tub.

Classic rooms also have balconies overlooking the lake and 17th-century church on Lake Bled Island.

The villa's restaurant offers Slovenian and international cuisine.

For lighter fare -- like custard cream cake kremna rezina -- there's Belvedere Cafe, where Tito used to throw tea parties.

Vila Bled has its own private boathouse and lakeside lido for soaking up the sun.

Guests can go canoeing, rafting or mountaineering in the Julian Alps, or hop in a hot air balloon for a more panoramic perspective.

Prime perk: With the hotel's "Tell Us How to Pamper You" button, guests can quickly have their needs answered to.

Vila Bled, Cesta svobode 26, Bled, Slovenia; +386 (0) 4 575 37 10; from $219 per night

French library discovers rare Shakespeare's First Folio

Paris (CNN) -- A librarian in northern France made what may be the discovery of his lifetime when he uncovered a rare Shakespeare's First Folio in his library's collection.

There are fewer than 240 known copies of the First Folio -- the first printed collection of 36 of William Shakespeare's plays, produced in 1623, seven years after his death -- so turning up a new one is an unlikely event.

For Remy Cordonnier, director of the medieval and early modern collection at the library in Saint-Omer, the moment he realized what he held in his hands was one of excitement -- and disbelief.

He was preparing an exhibition on Anglo-Saxon authors in September when he came across the First Folio. It was missing some pages, which is why it had been misfiled many decades ago.

A page of the newly discovered Shakespeare's original First folio.

"We looked deeper and we realized quickly that it was not a common edition," Cordonnier told CNN.

At first, the director could not believe what he had found. "I think I have 2.5 million pounds in my hands," he told his boss.

He then sought advice from Eric Rasmussen, a Shakespeare expert at the University of Nevada in Reno.

"I am not an expert myself on Shakespeare's pieces, so I wanted to have the opinion of an expert," said Cordonnier.

"This is why I contacted Eric Rasmussen to make sure they did not already know about the First Folio. He was actually in London working on the Shakespeare year at the British Library and agreed to come to authenticate the document."

Rasmussen's authentication, just this past weekend, confirmed what Cordonnier had suspected. The Saint-Omer library was home to a Shakespeare's First Folio.

This discovery "will add prestige to the region and help reconnect with our illustrious history, unfortunately forgotten for a century and a half," Cordonnier said.

The library still plans to make the First Folio part of the Anglo-Saxon exhibition, but it will not be put on display. "It is going to be digitized to be accessible to the public, at least virtually," Cordonnier said.

The precious book, meanwhile, will be stored in a safe to protect it from any damage.

According to the British Library, which holds four copies, the First Folio was produced by two of Shakespeare's fellow actors and closest friends, John Heminge and Henry Condell.

Although some of the playwright's works had been published before in a smaller, poorly edited format, the roughly 900-page book was the first to unite almost all of them, categorized as "Comedies, Histories and Tragedies."

Without the First Folio, much of Shakespeare's work would have been lost to subsequent generations.

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, with 82 First Folios, has the single largest collection of the books, representing one-third of the world's existing copies.

Shakespeare turns 450 this year

Introverts' secrets of success

Probably the world's most powerful introvert right now? Barack Obama, President of the United States was described in one New York Times article as being able to "rouse a stadium of 80,000 people" but "smaller group settings can be harder for him."Mayer is CEO of Yahoo, one of a handful of women who have reached the pinnacle of their industry. Known for her fierce intelligence, she admitted in a Vogue interview to being "geeky and shy." She forces herself to stay at parties for a fixed period of time even if she is having a bad time.Widely considered America's greatest president, Abraham Lincoln's legacy includes ending slavery and preserving the Union. He may well have achieved this through his introvert traits. Susan Cain, author of "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" has said that he was "praised for not throwing his weight around, for (not) acting superior."Author of the bestselling Harry Potter series, author J.K. Rowling is a self-described introvert and has often talked about the benefits taking time out to be alone as the best way to be creative. The leader of leader of the Indian nationalist movement and father of non-violent protest, Gandhi famously said: "In a gentle way, you can shake the world." Her thoughtful nature has helped Clinton to weather political and personal storms but it has not stopped her for being criticized for being "cold and emotionally flat" by people who perhaps don't get her personality type, according to one expert. He's the brains behind the social networking behemoth that is Facebook and a famously introverted tech geek, as his right-hand woman, Facebook CFO Sheryl Sandberg has said: "He is shy and introverted and he often does not seem very warm to people who don't know him, but he is warm ... He really cares about the people who work here." Awkward and withdrawn when she was growing up, Eleanor Roosevelt went on to become a U.S. first lady and U.N. representative Eleanor Roosevelt with "great sensitivity to the underprivileged of all creeds, races, and nations."  Imagine you're in a meeting at work.

Everyone else is throwing out ideas, talking loudly and debating.

You know you should say something but it's hard to get a word in so you sit in anxious silence.

Then disaster strikes.

Your boss looks over at you and says: "What do you think?"

In that instant, your brain freezes and you can't think of a thing to say.

If you've ever been tongue-tied in a meeting, desperate to escape after-work drinks or stressed out in an open-plan office, chances are you're an introvert.

One quarter to half of us are introverts, depending on which study you look at.

Introversion and extraversion is real -- and even genetic
Dan Cable, Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School

Introversion unpacked

Introverts are often misunderstood.

"It's really about energy," says Marti Olsen Laney, a psychotherapist and author of "The Introvert Advantage."

Introverts generate energy through reflection and quiet time while an extraverts' energy is increased by spending time in busy, stimulating places often with lots of people around, according to Olsen Laney.

"Introversion and extroversion are real -- and even genetic -- and genuinely change the way the world looks to those people," says Dan Cable, Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School.

"The key is not to think about two categories but a continuum," notes Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Professor of Business Psychology at University College London and author of "Confidence: The Surprising Truth About How Much You Need And How to Get It."

"Most people are actually in the middle," he says, adding that each category can have characteristics of the other.

Unlike Asian cultures, which are much more accepting of introverts, the West has long been biased towards extraverts, he says.

Leadership myth

The conventional wisdom, backed up by decades of studies, is that extraverts make better leaders.

"This idea is based on the false premise that activity equates to productivity, that confidence signals competence," says Chamorro-Premuzic.

Albert Einstein once said: "The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind."

Hulton Archive

A 2011 study by Harvard Business School, the University of Pennsylvania's Warton School and University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School found that while introverts and extraverts were evenly matched in the general population, 96% of managers and executives displayed extravert qualities.

The researchers also found that although extraverts show many of the strengths people associate with leadership -- like decisiveness -- the less obvious leadership qualities that introverts display can be more important in day-to-day teamwork.

"You really see a pattern of being conscientious, wanting to do a good job, being creative, good at problem solving. They're really good at one-on-one kinds of work," says Olsen Laney.

You really see a pattern of being conscientious and good at problem solving
Marti Olsen Laney, author of "The Introvert Advantage"

Making it work

Tazeen Ahmad is one person who has used her introversion to excel in the competitive world of broadcast journalism.

"The secret to any success I've had has been embracing my introversion," she says. "It means I process things much more. I think deeper, which often leads to better ideas."

She's been a foreign correspondent for U.S. network NBC and has won awards for her hard-hitting work as a reporter for Channel 4's investigations show "Dispatches" in the UK.

She says that the stories she tells often deal with terrible loss or big traumatic experiences -- and her subjects may have suffered abuse.

"I've asked them pertinent, difficult questions. I hope I come across as who I am -- authentic and genuine -- so they can see that I'm interested in their story, not just as a journalist, but as a person."

Famously introverted Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates said "If you're clever, you can learn to get the benefits of being an introvert," in an ABC interview.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Ahmad now regularly shares her wisdom at sell-out classes for introverts at The School of Life in London.

Her latest class is about how introverts can network in a way that works for them.

"If you go to a networking event and you can walk away with one or two good connections that you feel are going to pay off, rather than 15 that aren't (that's success)," she says.

Ahmad also suggested going to networking events with an extravert friend.

"Work the room together. They will make the connection and you will make it deeper."

Bridging the gap

Introverts can often feel overstimulated in meetings and in open-plan offices.

"Everything they are doing there drains energy, whereas for an extrovert all those things give them energy," explains Olsen Laney.

In those situations, introverts can find it hard to think or make on-the-spot comments.

Olsen Laney says introverts have to develop skills to tell extroverts what is going on with them.

"When an introvert is sitting in a meeting and not 'participating,' others can read disinterest," she says.

To combat this, she says introverts should practice non-verbal ways of showing they are engaged, like taking notes, or giving silent cues to the people who are talking.

Because they need private time to reflect, Olsen Laney suggests they approach their boss after a meeting, and offer to send their thoughts via email.

Beating the odds

Reflect upon when you come up with your best ideas
Nancy Ancowitz, coach and author of "Self-Promotion for Introverts"

Introverts can thrive in any work environment, but it's about knowing what works for you, says Nancy Ancowitz, a business coach and author of "Self-Promotion for Introverts".

She says many of her clients work in very extroverted industries, like sales and trading.

"Reflect upon when you come up with your best ideas, when you do your best work, when you are in your zone.

"Most introverts I have worked with find it's usually about collecting those ideas in alone time when they can write something down or (have) quiet time," she says.

For Ancowitz's money, though, the most powerful thing an introvert can do is learn public speaking skills.

"The beauty of public speaking is that it's not hard to learn. As long as you can speak to one person you can speak to a thousand."