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Overcoming the Fear of Speaking up
She had a good idea, but was afraid to share it in her department meeting.
My client Jeanne could see a simple change that would improve the process that was being discussed. But, only being in the second year of her role she wasn’t sure she could or should speak up in a meeting with 20-30 people that included managers and VPs.
She’s really good at seeing problems & coming up with solutions. Plus she’s at the level where this type of work is actually being done. The higher ups likely haven’t touched this detail in years.
And yet fear got in her way.
Maybe her idea was stupid (it WASN’T).
Or maybe someone would judge her for daring to speak in front of management.
So, she kept quiet & only shared with me an easy change that could’ve increased efficiency.
Do you know this feeling? It doesn’t have to be something that happened at work.
It could be the time you didn’t share your opinion at a dinner with friends because you were afraid you didn’t really know what you were talking about -except that you did.
Or when you held your tongue (again!) as your mother-in-law gave you backhanded compliments on your parenting because you didn’t want to cause "drama".
Or when you wrote yet another check to cover the kids’ activities yourself because your ex has a litany of lame excuses.
Women are taught to crave the need for approval, validation, and praise. Sharing an opinion or idea leaves you vulnerable to criticism and judgment which is counter to what we’re subconsciously seeking.
But, NOT speaking up can leave you feeling frustrated, angry, dissatisfied, stuck, unfulfilled…need I go on?
So, how do you shift toward speaking up more? It’s a process & I can help.
Join me in The GC this month as we explore how to have difficult conversations.
This is a shift I know well from a personal perspective. I continue to challenge myself with more honest communication & I work on it with clients everyday.
It’s not easy, but, it’s so rewarding to STOP spending so much time second guessing and worrying about what other people think.
Just saying what you need to say is so much easier once you get started.
Let me show you how.
