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3 Benefits of Releasing Your Fear of Conflict as an Introvert
Why having the confidence to speak your mind is a life-changing gift
His voice rose louder and louder. Because of a recent increase, the bill was too much for him to pay. He believed it wasn’t right or fair, and he wanted me to it.
And I wanted to help, but I felt paralyzed. It’s like the fear short-circuited my brain. So, instead of reassuring the customer what I could do for him, I quietly sat and absorbed the barrage of insults. And I became frustrated with myself that I couldn’t do more.
My ordinarily cheerful and helpful phone demeanor dissolved, revealing a stammering and frightened girl on the verge of tears.
At that moment, I felt like a failure.
Customer service can be rewarding when the interactions are pleasant, and I can help the other person. But people are unpredictable, sometimes irrational, and often emotional. In other words, very human. And when I represent a company they believe has wronged them, I can go from advocate to enemy in their mind.
“So, find a different job,” you might say. After all, customer service and sales top the online lists of “worst introvert careers.”
