How do you respond to cringeworthy bragging?

Post date: 2021-05-04 03:09:41
Views: 194
I've had a couple of professional interactions recently where my interlocutors were straight-up bragging about their accomplishments, how much money they make, how in demand they are, and so on, for an hour, in meetings where I was asking for a favor. What is the best way to respond?

Given that my social and professional circle tends to lean modest (with occasional namedropping or humblebrags at most), I am completely at sea with this behavior, and felt extremely uncomfortable. I smiled and nodded, but it felt insincere (as it was), cringing internally.

For context: I did not set up the meetings. I merely asked for a favor that could be done over email, but they elected to give me hours of their time, which sounds generous, except that the meetings were 100% about them. I chalk this up to Covid loneliness on their part?
Number of Comments
Please click Here to read the full story.
 
Other Top and Latest Questions:
Trump vows Iran will be 'living in Hell' by Tuesday if Strait of Hormuz deadline missed
The PWHL is growing and post-Olympics boom may take women's hockey to the next level
'Silent killers': How AI start-ups are trying to solve one of the retail industry's biggest problems
FedEx trucking spinoff targets 2026 operating margin of 12%
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says 'AI shift' opens opportunities to invest in startups
Movie: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Markets shift back towards potential Fed rate cut this year with Iran ceasefire in place
Delta CEO says airline will 'meaningfully' cut growth plans, sees $300 million boost from its refinery
AI's next bottleneck: Why even the best chips made in the U.S. take a round trip to Taiwan
The U.S. housing markets where million-dollar listings are standard