How Do You Know WHEN to Speak up?
Last week we discussed the importance of using your voice effectively. As we discussed, speaking is one thing. Being heard is another.
We'll spend the next few weeks learning and practicing this skill. Why? So that you feel comfortable speaking up when the stakes are high - when you find yourself in a situation where providing your perspective, experience, or expertise is important to you and to an outcome.
You were hired for your ideas. You have something to contribute to your community. If you can't express these ideas and contributions clearly, you will be frustrated and so will others around you.
Moreover, ideas are the currency of today's world - they matter more than ever. Developing the ability to deliver your ideas effectively is a critical skill that will give you a powerful edge.
Last week, I asked you to think about a situation where you know you need to speak up, but you haven't done so yet. I asked you to think about what's stopping you from using your voice. If you're like most people, it’s likely that one of the things stopping you is that you don’t feel like you know what to say.
We'll talk about the “what” - but what to say is secondary for us at this point.
The first and primary thing we need to identify when learning to use our voice effectively is when to talk.
Choosing the right time to speak is critical. As your coach, I'm not training you to be more comfortable speaking up so that you can talk every time that you have a thought or an opinion. That's not our goal. Yes, I want you to speak up, but I want you to do it at the right time. And contrary to our current social norms, you don't need to have an opinion on everything to be an influential person. But you do need to know when to speak up.
Luckily for us, knowing when to speak up is straightforward if you consider the following two questions:
1. Have you identified a situation that hits on something that is important to you? Something that you care about? Something that you value?
AND
2. Do you have something valuable to contribute and to communicate - something that you believe will lead to a better outcome, a better decision, a positive change to the status quo, a stronger resolution, and so on?
If your answer to these two questions is yes - it's time to speak up.
Here are a few examples:
I am passionate about excellent customer service. I know that we are lacking in this area and we're losing sales.
I care about fiscal responsibility. The new budget is going to lead us to a deficit and I'm worried about the consequences of that for our labor force.
Developing our team is important to me. The trainings we've been doing are not leading to results in terms of my team's skill sets.
I care about teamwork and alignment. I know that there are folks on our team who are not “all in” and this is going to lead to problems very quickly.
I am passionate about developing a leadership pipeline. We are doing this well for our mid-level managers, but this topic is not being considered for our senior leadership. This is making our organization vulnerable.
I value a workplace that is diverse and inclusive. I know that diversity leads to better decision making. We are not empowering everyone with the psychological safety they need to speak up. We're losing important and valuable contributions from colleagues and it's slowing us down.
A caveat: this has got to be real and sincere. The "thing" you're focused on - whether it's inclusion or fiscal responsibility - has got to matter to you. Your strength and influence as a speaker come from your convictions. You can’t fake it – people will know.
Ok, it's YOUR turn. Remember that conversation I asked you to think about last week? The one where you've been avoiding speaking up? Is it hitting on something you value? If so, do you have something important to contribute? Yes? Then it’s time to speak up.
