When I was younger, my dream was to be a life coach. For an introvert, that is a pretty strange thing to want.
I have never been someone who finds social situations particularly natural. I can do them, and I do them well when I need to. I just do not seek them out.
I think it is partly genetic. My dad built his career around speeches and presentations. Growing up, I was constantly tagging along to his conferences, sitting in hotel ballrooms watching him command a room of hundreds. It just seemed normal. Standing up and talking to people was not something to be nervous about. It was just something adults did.
So when school rolled around and we had to do presentations, I was in my element. Top marks, no nerves, confident delivery. But the second a teacher said “okay everyone, let’s do a quick icebreaker,” my stomach dropped. Forced one-on-one small talk with strangers felt completely alien, even though speaking to the whole class did not.
That has changed over time. I have gotten used to it, worked on it, and if you put me in a room now I can hold my own. I am not going to be the one working the crowd, but I am not hiding by the door either. What used to be my biggest weakness is something I have quietly gotten on top of. It just took longer than most things.
There is a distinction a lot of people do not really get. There is a difference between performing for an audience and actually connecting with individuals. One I find natural; the other I would rather skip.
The same pattern shows up in my work. I lead meetings, drive stakeholder conversations, present findings, gather requirements, and I am good at it. That is the part of working in Power Platform I enjoy most. Give me a structured discussion with a clear objective and I am confident, focused, and useful. But catch me in the kitchen at a work event trying to make conversation? I have got about 0.2 seconds before I would rather just get on with my day.
I still do not fully understand where the line is, or why it sits exactly there. But I think the life coach ambition made sense precisely because of it. I did not want to make small talk with people. I wanted to have focused, purposeful conversations with them. Not despite any of that. Because of it.
My biggest strength and my biggest weakness are basically the same thing. Just in different rooms.