Awkwardness and bouncing back
Your boss mispronounces your name. You daren’t correct them, and the situation drags on, making it even more delicate to address. These awkward and difficult-to-manage situations are commonplace, yet…
Pryor tackles a counterintuitive but powerful concept for making progress in life and at work: embracing moments of awkwardness or discomfort. Why do you try to avoid embarrassing moments, even at the risk of making the situation worse?
- Social conformity: Like every human being, you need to feel that you belong to a group and that your existence is acknowledged.
- Seeking approval: The opinion of this group matters to you, and you constantly ensure that your behavior is collectively validated.
These social concerns are legitimate and drive you to excel in conforming to what you perceive as others’ high expectations. But they also limit your willingness to take risks, thus reducing your opportunities for growth.
What to do? Pryor suggests concrete strategies to learn how to handle these uncomfortable moments. She encourages you to shift your perspective, accept making mistakes, focus on meeting your own expectations rather than others’, and remember that every awkward situation is an opportunity for growth.
To go further
“Want to get ahead at work ? Risk the awkward moments”
by Henna Pryor (TEDxQueensVillage, September 2022).
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