商业人士如何克服腼腆.docVIP

Bashful in businessBy Virginia MatthewsPublished: February 26 2009 20:50 | Last updated: February 26 2009 20:50John Whiting has risen to the rank of tax partner at PwC and takes part in regular TV broadcasts on financial matters, but he is also a self-confessed introvert who finds social situations deeply uncomfortable.“I still can’t work a roomful of strangers, nor am I a natural glad-hander or someone who would have found it easy to lead a big client account,” he says. “But although it is still quite a struggle at times, I refuse to let my innate shyness get the better of me or allow it to limit my career.”While being ill at ease in company does not preclude you from success – Sir Richard Branson of Virgin and Duncan Bannatyne of the BBC series Dragons’ Den are two examples of self-confessed introverts – social awkwardness is, for many people, an increasingly unwelcome trait.Parties: the bane of the bashful“Being uncomfortable around people and preferring my own company has cost me a directorship and at least ￡40,000 a year,” says one IT manager with a large retail company. He says he has seen many similarly competent, though notably more extrovert, contemporaries rise through the ranks with ease.“I’ve found that technical skill and an ability to think logically have got me a fairly long way up the ladder but in my experience you are unlikely to reach the top unless you can conquer your shyness and enjoy engaging with people – which I fundamentally do not,” he says.Psychologists say that introverts, or “social phobics”, are more likely to be drained than fired up by social occasions. At its extreme, shyness can turn even everyday work situations such as client lunches and company parties into ordeals, while on a more everyday level it can close the door on all but the most junior or back-room functions.Yet it can be overcome, says Rob Yeung, a business psychologist at Talentspace, a leadership consultancy. He argues that, while acceptable in a su