Andrea was a champion of her people’s growth. She gave them many opportunities to speak to client groups and leaders within the company and felt good about the development and visibility it provided them.
But, upon reflection, she acknowledged that the underlying reason she didn’t speak to the groups herself was because the thought of it made her sick to her stomach. She was fine doing the intros and adding her support, but she didn’t like being the center of attention.
Andrea finally realized she was missing out. Clients were not learning about her views, her rationale, what she was passionate about. She wasn’t sharing her whole personality because she kept many thoughts to herself.
So, she bit the bullet, committed to expressing herself more, and pushed through her discomfort until it became easier.
This was a brave and valuable move for Andrea. She’s glad she did it, and so are her people and customers.
When you do something new, your brain realizes – hey, she’s doing this and acting like it’s OK, so let’s get on board and support it.
Your brain is activated by you taking action. It jumps in to help you do the best you can. You don’t have to believe you can do it first. Do it repeatedly, and your belief will follow.
View it as energizing opportunities to experience, explore, enjoy, expand. Learn from each experience. If you screw up, or stumble, or if words don’t flow out of you the way you wanted, you’ll have something to work on for the next opportunity
Something that really makes a difference: shift your attention away from yourself and how you’re feeling to your audience’s interests and goals. Talk with some of them as you prepare for meetings to learn about their perspectives. Ask for their collaboration.
Little by little, you’ll get better and better at it. Until the day comes when you’ll chuckle at how worried you used to be. Picture yourself at that point and it will help get you there.
You know the old saying:
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again.
It’s all about your growth.
FYI, “Andrea” was a newly appointed CEO.
