After spending years working as a marketing and HR executive, Mita Mallick is far from a shrinking violet.
Now a workplace strategist and bestselling author, Mallick is often invited to speak at business workshops, podcasts and events.
However, those who know her today would be “floored” to learn that she was once too shy to talk in meetings, she says.
Earlier in her career, Mallick struggled to find her voice at work. Part of her reticence stemmed from low confidence due to being bullied as a child, she says.
“I carried some of that trauma with me into the workplace, meaning I wanted to stay invisible because I was nervous about being a target,” she says.
For Mallick, who knew from the beginning that she wanted to be a leader in the workplace, learning how to speak up was vital to her career.
Some less-than-diplomatic feedback from a former boss was the push she needed to conquer her shyness.
A “wallflower” at work
In a moment Mallick says is “seared into memory,” her manager at a Fortune 500 company pulled her into his office after a talent review meeting.
According to Mallick, he had some “pretty harsh” feedback to share. Because of her shyness, “no one knows what you do here,” he told her.
“You’re a wallflower,” he continued. “You don’t speak up. The lights are on, but I don’t know if anyone is home.”
Moreover, Mallick’s supervisor didn’t feel that she had “potential” to grow into a leadership role at the company.
“I was devastated,” she recalls. She left work, went home and ate a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream.
After letting herself “wallow” for the rest of the day, Mallick vowed to improve her communication skills.
“He didn’t give it with a lot of kindness, but it was feedback I needed to hear,” she says.
“I don’t like the way he did it, but I’m thankful for it”
Today, Mallick doesn’t even break a sweat before presenting a keynote speech, she says. However, becoming comfortable with speaking up took years of work.
“I was not born with the gift of gab,” she says. “I practiced like it was a sport.”
Before every presentation, Mallick rehearses what she’s going to say while she’s in the car or in the shower. One helpful trick she recommends is to tell a co-worker that you’re planning to speak during a meeting beforehand as a form of accountability.
“I always say, I’m not gonna be the loudest voice in the room, but I will have impact,” she says.
Though it was certainly painful, receiving that feedback from her supervisor marked a turning point in her career.
“I don’t like the way he did it, but I’m thankful for it,” she says.
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