Coping with Shyness

I am a very shy person. I hardly say a word in the public. I have just been appointed the head of the marketing department. What should I do?

1 reply
  1. Penelope Trunk
    Penelope Trunk says:

    One of the most important skils for creating a successful life is being able to identify your weaknesses. So you’ve done that well. Now you have to figure out how to work around your weakness.

    First, do most of your management via email. And have your department meetings be collaborative, where each person leads their part of the meeting.

    Second, get some coaching. You probably need coaching for speaking. For most people, coaching is for speaking in front of 100 people, but you will use this coaching for speaking in front of just two or three. That’s fine. It’s just who you are. And, it should be noted that some people are great at speaking in front of 100 people but need coaching to speak with one person (we call that couples therapy :)

    Finally, get a good understanding of why you received the promotion. The person who gave you the promotion must know you do not talk in public. So you probably got the job because you do something else well. Make sure you continues to do that well, and then you have some insurance that you won’t be terrible in your new position.

    Penelope

Comments are closed.