Henna Pryor is a dynamic Workplace Performance Expert who speaks and writes about performance mindset and embracing bumps in a world that keeps optimizing for smoothness. She's a regular Expert Columnist for Inc. Magazine, 18x award-winning author of Good Awkward, and an in-demand global keynote speaker.
TAKEAWAYS
We Cannot Eliminate Awkwardness
My firm belief is that most people's success, their ability to take risks, comes with reframing their understanding of awkwardness. Knowing what to do and recalibrating your experience with it will unlock your next level of success.
When it comes to embracing awkwardness in the workplace, what I often suggest is two things:
Do not confuse the emotion of awkwardness with ineptitude
Use micro-moments of awkwardness to build up your response muscle, for example, ‘I'm not sure how to pronounce your name, can you let me know so I can get it right?’
Career Transitions Bring Out the Awkward
I felt very awkward as a child, I was the first born of South Asian, Pakistani, immigrant parents. My entire upbringing was run through the ‘What will people say?’ filter. Not, ‘Is this a good fit for me? or ‘Does this bring me joy?’
By the time I got to college I thought I had sort of found myself. But, when I entered the workplace—fighting for a promotion, taking a new job—all those little Henna feelings came rushing back.
Fun fact, scientifically and statistically, most people want you to win. So give them a chance to be on your side before you tell yourself the story that you're completely failing.