Thought Trap #2: Worrying About Looking Stupid at Work

I’m the youngest (and least experienced) on my team at work.

And it’s not close.

One afternoon, my teammate asked me to meet with him and a customer. I usually spend a lot of time preparing for calls so I don’t look like a fool. But this was an emergency.

The call was in 30 minutes. Cue stress.

What if they ask questions I can’t answer? What if I look stupid in front of my team?

Thought Trap: Chasing Approval of Knowledge

Ok, let’s look at my thoughts and ask, “What do I want?”

• I want to look knowledgeable in front of my team

We should want people to value us at work. But we also need to ask, “Why am I so anxious about that?”

• I think my co-workers approval of my knowledge matters most [which is a BIG LIE]

When I believe this, I start running. Or I even hide what I do know. Ironically, this makes it harder to learn. Knowledge is use it or lose it.

The Way Out: Appreciate Your Knowledge

Knowledge is power. Remember yours.

You can’t know everything. But the truth is, you do know something. Instead of focusing on how much others’ think we know, we should appreciate what we already know.

When you feel anxious, write down two things:

1. One thing I know about is..
2. I think this is valuable because..

Pro Tip: Keep your list going and read it for encouragement. Roadmap makes this super easy. When you’re anxious, it’ll remind you of how smart you are. Like a personal hype man.

Steps to Share Your Knowledge

When all is said and done, we still need to take steps to share our knowledge. Here are a few:

1. Write down what you know. This will help you articulate it
2. Prepare questions to ask
3. Show up
4. Ask thoughtful questions
5. Share what you know (It’s ok to say you’ll follow up if you don’t know)

Pro Tip: Start small, work your way up, and celebrate each step! Roadmap makes this into a fun game to help you grow.

Your Turn

Knowledge is power. Remember yours.

Instead of focusing on opinions of your knowledge, appreciate what you know. You’ll find the confidence to show up, share it, and learn more. I’ll do the same.

Love,

T.O.

P.S: Where do you struggle most with sharing your knowledge? Hit “reply” and I’ll share mine with you too.