A few days ago I returned from my annual National Speaker’s Association (NSA) conference in Atlanta. The educational sessions were OK, the hotel was so-so, and the town was lacking in exciting things to do, but my experience was stellar. How is that possible?
Though I am often accused of being an extrovert, I consider myself quite introverted, as I truly dislike social events and networking gatherings where I am forced to meet new people and mingle with individuals whom I don’t know. You know the feeling – that insecure child inside of you automatically assumes that you won’t like anyone new and that they probably won’t like you, either. It’s simply safer to stick with people with whom you already have a relationship.
Of course, the adult inside knows that to grow as a person (and as a business), you must meet new people, network effectively, and experience new challenges. So, what do you do?
As an introverted defense mechanism, I learned that becoming involved with committees, task forces, and boards, I could meet a lot of people without the painfulness of cold networking. Joining committees provides the unique...