The Time I Spoke in Every Meeting for a Month
I used to be pretty shy. I’m an introvert. I guess I’m shy because I’m an introvert? Or maybe I’m an introvert because I’m shy? I feel like I’m getting in to a chicken and egg situation, but I think you get the point.
Just because I’m shy and introverted doesn’t mean I don’t have great ideas. I have a lot of ideas and I think most of them are great. 😉. But when you’re shy, it can be difficult to muster up the courage to speak up around people you don’t know very well.
When I first started at Nike’s corporate headquarters, I was in my twenties and I had big dreams: I wanted to be the head of HR for Nike. But there were a lot of really talented people at the company and I wasn’t sure how I was going to show their leaders what I was capable of.
I remember sitting in meetings, listening to the topics being discussed, and I had so many ideas I wanted to throw on the table, but I didn’t know how, or when, to insert myself. Most meetings had at least 8 people in them, all really smart individuals, who seemed very confident. There were a lot of good discussions, but I knew I had a perspective that wasn’t being considered (which was nobody’s fault but my own). SO, one day, I set a goal to not leave a single meeting for a month without saying something. For some of you, that may seem easy, or even silly to be making a ‘goal’ about. But for a new (introverted) hire at a big, successful company like Nike, it’s a scary goal. Trust me.
The month started off a little shaky, with me waiting until the last 5 or 10 minutes of the meeting to say anything, which didn’t give the team much time to noodle on the idea or continue to brainstorm with my idea on the table. Still, I always celebrated the fact that I spoke up at all. As time went on, it got easier to contribute, and I found myself speaking once, twice, or even three times in a meeting (!), until it eventually became easy. Don’t get me wrong, I sometimes froze up when a senior leader was in the room, but I made sure to never leave a meeting without saying something.
Some of the benefits that came out of this experiment:
I gained confidence to share my ideas in group settings.
People began expecting me to contribute, and I became the go-to person for ideas and questions.
Leaders took notice, and new opportunities opened up — from side projects to development opportunities.
I credit much of my career success to the effort I put into building confidence in sharing my ideas. And honestly, the companies I’ve worked for have benefited from it too.
The same goes for you — your ideas are unique, and no one sees the world quite like you do. When you hold back, your team and organization miss out.
Don’t let your talent go to waste. Share those ideas.
