In my past life of working in fundraising and nonprofit management, one of the “skills” I had to cultivate was to NOT be intimidated by people, regardless of their positions, backgrounds, or financial status. This meant that even though I made a meager nonprofit income and certainly didn’t possess any advanced degrees, I had to find a way to feel comfortable and confident, regardless of the company I was amidst. This took a little practice and a lot of getting used to. Now, I find I am seldom intimidated by anyone (except bankers!).
Intimidation can be a tough thing to wrestle with as we work at our businesses. We may come from a background where our exposure to “people in power” was rather limited. People who are in influential positions such as bankers and politicians—or those who seem to possess talents and skills we don’t, like artists, performers, and writers—can all seem intimidating to us. Unfortunately, discomfort with certain types of people and feeling intimidated can actually hurt our businesses. If we find ourselves avoiding networking opportunities, or not knowing how to behave or speak when we are around those who feel intimidated by, we may miss golden opportunities.
Getting over feeling intimidated takes some serious self-talk, encouragement and practice. The more you allow yourself to participate in situations and experiences where you can get to know the types of people, or specific individuals, you feel intimidated by, the more likely you’ll realize they are just people and you’ll develop communication skills to help you cope. It does take time and experience, however, in order to work your way though some of that ingrained intimidation. Try to stay open and give yourself some affirmative pep talks prior to experiences. Afterward, you can go over what you did well, remind yourself what you actually liked about the people you met (as well as how “normal” they were) and identify ways you can feel even more comfortable and solid the next time. It also helps to keep your focus on your business and what you are trying to achieve—this might help you to overcome the discomfort so you can learn how to let go of feeling intimidated.
See Also: What’s Your Business Style? and It’s Going to Take More Than One Contact to Cultivate Customers