Are you working in a professional capacity and have yet to overcome shyness, introversion, social anxiety, or just being the quietest person in the room? I was that person for many years until a succession of events and missed opportunities opened my eyes to the fact that being reserved in business settings can and will hurt your career and limit the opportunities that come your way.

Major changes are coming to how we work and who gets the work, post-pandemic. Your soft skills will be weighted more heavily than ever before as businesses look to increase sales and become prominent players in diminished markets.  

Oftentimes, when you get what you wanted, people skills were involved. The same can be said when you don't get what you desired, when the opportunity went to someone else, when they got the job, the raise, or the client. How you're perceived matters. Don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise.

There's a reason why experienced, foreign relations experts deploy soft power in sensitive talks and negotiations. The words you choose and your demeanor, whether open and inquisitive, or closed and defensive will make an impression long after a conversation has come to a close, and word of how you positioned yourself will spread. The impression you make is completely within your control.