I’m a cofounder of a startup in New York City. We actively use the terms “introverted” and “extroverted” in analyzing our different approaches to problem-solving.

In one particular meeting, the introvert and extrovert styles of myself and my partner really came to light. We were questioning the reliability of a product we were considering selling on our site. My partner, an extreme extrovert, responded to this problem with: “Who can we call about this? Who would have answers?” This approach made sense to him because his social capital is quite large (he is a life-long extrovert after all). I, on the other hand, am an extreme introvert, so my immediate response was to look at it from a solitary research perspective. I responded to the problem with: “Google.” In general, it would not occur to me to reach out and call anyone unless I hit a wall trying to solve the problem on my own.

In the past, as partners, we have gotten frustrated with this particular difference, where both sides believed that their approach was superior. However, as we’ve gained a better understanding of the difference between introversion and extroversion, we have begun to appreciate our opposite approaches and even take advantage of their differences. Instead of habitually defaulting to our natural way of solving problems, we consider which approach makes more sense for solving a specific issue.

All of us lie somewhere on the spectrum of introversion and extroversion, but to appreciate everything that life has to offer, we have to work to integrate the entire spectrum of the world at large.