Jill had remained with the same company for 10 years. She loved it there but, other opportunities awaited; opportunities that could result in pay raises and promotions. The only thing holding her back was her inability to network. Put her in an unfamiliar setting away from her office and she froze.
Sound familiar? And you might’ve not even experienced it yourself, it could be that you recognise this problem in an employee on your team.
What ultimately helped Jill the most was realising that her fear of networking situations and new work environments wasn’t about the situations themselves. She had a fear of being rejected. What she needed to do was overcome her ‘Fear of Rejection Barrier’.
The ‘Fear of Rejection Barrier’ is a concept similar to exposure therapy. Put yourself in an uncomfortable position frequently enough and you’ll no longer feel uncomfortable. Jill put herself out there and eventually became comfortable enough to make business networking work in her favour. She got that promotion and that raise.
Does this sound like something you or someone on your team could use? Read about how to hone your virtual communication skills, with this blog.