"Why didn’t you speak up?”
…I didn’t think they wanted to hear a different opinion
…They won’t listen to me anyway
…I tried it a few times and it was awkward
…He didn’t really ask me what I thought
…I would have been the only dissenting voice in the room
…No-one else sees it like I do
…I don’t know that she wants to know what I REALLY think
Sound familiar?
I hear this far to frequently from remarkable executives who either don’t know how, or lose the energy to fight about what they care about.
“Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you”
This has to be my number one favorite quote from Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
I watched the #RBG movie with our three daughters and my husband this weekend night and I shed tears of gratitude, pride, and for hope for our future in this country we have embraced as our home.
“See you were right!” I told a brilliant executive last week - when she finally spoke up about an unpopular opinion and that lead to others agreeing with her and it changing the course of a multi-million dollar decision.
“Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you”
Too often executives fight for what they care about but alienate everyone around them in the process. Achieving nothing but a short term release of their personal pressure valve,
How you influence and communicate with those different from you, those you might not know so well, those who make decisions differently, those who approach problems through a different lens takes thought, time, and a finesse that really pays off.
I wake up to many messages each day from leaders in all industries, from all functions telling me how the stories I tell and the tools I share in my Rapid Growth, Done Right book helped them with a board meeting they were about to walk into, a team meeting they were planning for, or a tough conversation they needed to have with a peer.
Are others around you joining you or resisting you?
…or maybe you aren’t speaking up when you should so no-one knows what you really care about
It is time.
Dedicated to growing your business,
Val
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