When Risk Impacts Our Confidence

Have you ever experienced that long, regret-filled walk back to your desk after a meeting; the one where you kick yourself repeatedly because of all the things you didn't say during the meeting.  

You beat yourself up for the rest of the day; on your way home from work; while you're eating dinner. Giving yourself one last mental beat down while you brush your teeth before bed.

You replay the moment a hundred times in your mind. Each time creating a different, more courageous version of yourself, than the one that actually showed up at the meeting. A version where you're saying all of the things you could have potentially said then, but didn't.

If any of the above struck a nerve, don't worry. These moments are supposed to happen, because we're human. 

On the other hand, you might want to consider panicking if you see similarities between yourself and Milton Waddams; the guy from the movie "Office Space" with the Coke bottle glasses, who let Lumberg take his red stapler.

As for me..I tend to base my communication decisions; the opinions that I will or won't share, on SWOT analysis.  The more risk I perceive once I've assessed the moment, the less likely I am to share what I'm really thinking.

Trying to mitigate risk by only communicating what we perceive to be safe to express, isn't necessarily a bad engagement strategy. It's when our perception of risk inhibits us from speaking up at all, that we've allowed risk to compromise our potential to be great. And to an extent, our authenticity.

So - the next time you find yourself sitting in a meeting; agonizing through that epic mental battle between good and evil; expressing an opinion versus remaining quiet, think about the perception you want to leave on the part of those who are present.

Having an opinion; be it a prevailing point of view among those present or the lone perspective in the room, is better than allowing others to believe that you have no opinion at all.



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