Whether it’s a specific goal for coaching, or simply a deep need to contribute and be heard, almost everyone I work with wants to speak up more.
Speak up in a way that engages others so they are motivated to work on our vision.
Speak up in a way that persuades people to our point of view. Like actually getting all engineers on board with doing their documentation or that we deal with our tech debt as well as create new features.
Speak up when we are new and have a completely different perspective on the problem, which will disrupt the “this is how we do things” culture.
It’s a common challenge.
I love how these two quotes point to the solution.
“It took me quite a long time to develop a voice, and now that I have it, I am not going to be silent”
― Madeleine K. Albright
“The words sounded silly and naïve, but that didn’t mean they weren’t worth speaking.”
― Hannah Heath,
The solution:
Start speaking up, and keep on doing it.
The words don’t need to be perfect.
When we can do these two things, good things will start to happen.
One, we’ll start making an impact now instead of waiting until we “can get it right”.
And two, over time, we’ll get better at it: become more clear, engaging, and persuasive because we’ll be practising all the time.
This post is part of my special Coaching Tips Series. This series was inspired by my clients and the core themes in their challenges. When we can apply these tips, we bring a lot of ease into our lives and step into our leadership. Want to talk it through with me? Call me and let’s make a Game Plan together.