Your Sensitivity Is A Career Superpower – II
2. Speak up if others have missed something.
It’s another asset you have: you’re attuned not only to feelings, but also to those tiny details others may have missed. You’re the one who spots something that doesn’t quite add up before your company hires a new candidate or who sees the perfect place to move funds around when it’s time for budgets cuts.
You aren’t satisfied until every detail has been worked out and every contingency has been planned for. In the workplace—especially if it’s fast-paced with lots of moving parts—this strength for keeping track of the details is invaluable.
3. Jump into teamwork.
If you or someone you know is highly sensitive, you likely make an exceptional team member. You have a rare ability to take people’s feelings into account and think through different parts of complex decisions.
For example, when your colleagues on your team are scrutinizing how a new policy might affect each department in your organization, you can spot the hidden benefits and downsides.
You also thrive in and contribute to supportive, collaborative atmospheres. Keep in mind, though, that this can all go wrong if you’re the one left making final decisions. Use your gifts of assembling input and analysis, then consider gathering others’ opinions as you bring your teammates into the fold for the final call.
4. Use your creativity to solve problems.
While it can sometimes feel like a huge burden to be so profoundly affected by what’s going on around you, your intuitive nature also let’s you tap into your creativity.
You might be the person who’s always carrying a notebook around. Or maybe you’d benefit from having a whiteboard in your office to capture and brainstorm ideas.
As a creative person, you’re deeply in tune with your inner world and this can lead to fascinating breakthroughs, innovative solutions to problems and a unique sense of clarity most of your coworkers don’t get to experience. Once you feel comfortable accessing your creative side, more colleagues will turn to you for inspiration when they feel stuck.
5. Prepare for stimulating situations.
Most highly sensitive people don’t fare well when caught off guard in meetings or presentations. When high-stakes interactions send your emotions off the charts you might feel a discomforting loss of control. The best antidote is preparation—the right way.
To the extent possible, try to anticipate questions and think through your best responses ahead of time while keeping in mind that over-preparation can be a crutch as well. You don’t want to become rigid and unable to respond if something unexpected should occur.
Especially in the case of negotiations or job interviews, consider creating an outline with the “high points” you’ll most want to cover. Just make sure you don’t wing it—if you’re flustered, your memory will fade quickly.
As a highly sensitive person who experiences strong emotions, you might feel like you’re carrying a heavy load at times, especially at work. But the truth is you likely have a huge amount of untapped value to share with your co-workers, clients and in your career as a whole.
Tags: Create Inner Sensitivity
