BRX Pro Tip: How to Decide When to Speak Up
Stone Payton: And we’re back with Business RadioX Pro Tips. Lee Kantor, Stone Payton here with you. Lee, I don’t know if this is a challenge for me or not, but it certainly might be for some. How do you decide when to speak up?
Lee Kantor: Yeah, a lot of people struggle with this. They’re in a situation, and they have an opportunity to speak up or an opportunity to stay silent.
Lee Kantor: So, here’s a simple framework for deciding when it is that you should speak up. First, staying silent, will that cause harm? If the answer is yes, then obviously you have to speak up. Period. End of story.
Lee Kantor: Second, do I have something to contribute that others don’t? If you’re just adding noise to feel involved, just stay quiet at that point. But if you have a unique insight or some expertise, that’s when your voice matters. And you should definitely speak up.
Lee Kantor: And third, are you willing to own the consequences? Speaking up isn’t just about having an opinion. It’s about being accountable for what happens next. If you’re not prepared to follow through, then don’t start.
Lee Kantor: Here’s where how this can look in a practical setting. Like, say you’re in a client meeting. If you see a strategy is going to fail, or maybe you have some insight into how this has played out in the past, then you speak up because being silent is going to cause harm. You’re going to go down a rabbit hole that you might not have to. In a team discussion, when 10 people have already said the same thing, you don’t have to be the 11th person to just say the same thing. You can stay quiet in that situation.
Lee Kantor: And if you’re going to challenge a decision, make sure that you’re ready to help solve the problem. Just complaining about something or piling on in that manner is not helping anything improve. So, if you’re going to interject, be ready to help with the solution to the challenge.
Lee Kantor: Speaking up is a tool. It doesn’t have to be a reflex but just use it strategically.
