“After almost two decades building a successful career at a high-profile investment bank, I realized that I needed help to get to the next level. I have already seen the benefits in my leadership skills and promotion prospects.”
Angela Osborne, Executive Director, MORGAN STANLEY
Oscar, a director of a medium-sized firm, came to me because his value to the company wasn’t being recognized. His quiet nature and somewhat passive approach were interfering with his need to be visible, especially in meetings where higher-level executives were in attendance. He wasn’t finding ways to connect with these leaders one-on-one in order to build a rapport, either. As a result, senior staff members and other influential people weren’t aware of the impact player my client truly was. It was clear that he needed to become more visible by enhancing his powers of self-expression.
Oscar’s resistance to sharing his opinions and revealing who he was were based on fear. He was afraid that he might not be accepted if he shared an opinion that was contrary to what others believed, so he avoided creating greater exposure for his ideas. He also felt a need to avoid making waves so he wouldn’t come across as more of an outsider than he already felt. Those feelings were absolutely understandable, but his career would continue stagnating if he kept allowing them to guide him.
In our discussions, Oscar acknowledged that he was giving his power away to other people by assuming that their viewpoints held more weight than his own. He allowed himself to speak only when he knew his comments would be met with approval. This created a constant pressure to be careful about what he said and how he said it, while making him overly vigilant about how his comments were received by others.
Why Speak Up More in Meetings?
As we worked together, Oscar learned that speaking up more often in meetings would yield immediate benefits for his overall job performance:
- Immediate feedback on his ideas and points of view.
- Increased exchange of ideas in the company.
These benefits would, in turn, increase his knowledge capital, help him develop more (and deeper) relationships, and enhance his visibility with colleagues and executives in the company.
Tactics for Speaking Up in Meetings
The methods that helped Oscar increase his self-expression can boost your visibility and help you advance as a leader as well:
1 – Stop censoring yourself.
Once you quell the impulse to censor yourself, you’ll automatically speak up more often. It’s important to share your thoughts and ideas without over-editing them or limiting your expression. Don’t lose valuable opportunities to share your views and be seen as the influential person you are.
2 – Speak without hesitation.
Speak when you want to speak and not just when you have something important to say. Imagine being the most verbose person in the meeting. Yes, that might be a bit radical, but push the limits of your comfort zone. Wouldn’t it be powerful not to censor yourself at all? Try on a new persona at the next meeting, just for fun. Pretend you’re a person who naturally has total freedom of expression, and take up the space you’ve been denying yourself. Once you realize you’re capable of participating in a central way, it will get easier to do this routinely.
3 – Be the first to speak up.
Look for opportunities in each meeting to be the first to express your viewpoint. When you speak first, you have less time to generate self-doubt by comparing what others say to your own opinion. When you delay speaking up, you may become more withdrawn and find it harder to break into the discussion. So, lead the discussion instead of following it and reap the benefits of being fully engaged in every meeting.
4 – Choose a topic ahead of time.
Prior to every meeting, choose one topic or agenda item that you will address, even if your perspective contradicts the prevailing opinion or is potentially confrontational. Select a topic that is important to you and prepare your thoughts in advance so you will be ready to add to the discussion.
5 – Decide how often you want to speak in a meeting.
Before each meeting, decide how many times you want to speak so you will have a target that motivates you to participate. You can, for example, choose to speak three times and let the first be a comment you prepare in advance. The second could be a question you ask. And the third time might be to share a thought that comes to mind at any point during the meeting.
6 – Say the first thing that comes into your head.
In addition to preparing to discuss a specific topic, commit to expressing one idea that pops into your mind during the meeting. Practice doing this at least once per meeting so that speaking without censoring yourself becomes a habit. Your newfound ability to jump into a conversation without preparation will soon override any lingering fears.
7 – Ask questions.
One of the easiest ways to speak up in a meeting is to ask questions. Try asking, “How did you come up with that?” “What is the basis of the remark you made?” or “Where is that coming from?” Leverage your knowledge and expertise to probe deeper into what others are saying. You will feel more engaged and become an active participant, which will help facilitate a more powerful meeting and provide opportunities for others to truly see you.
8 – Believe in your ideas and have confidence in sharing them.
Your ideas are no less valid that those of the other people in a meeting, so don’t allow doubt to get in the way. You do not need to adjust your viewpoint to suit the needs of others. When you believe deeply in your own judgment, your confidence will expand, and you will find it easier to share your thoughts and ideas. Your experiences, thoughts, and opinions are not only valid and worthwhile, but may prove to be exactly what other people need to hear.
9 – Don’t give your power away.
It’s common in meetings to defer to a boss, others higher up in the organization, or someone who intimidates you. In the process, however, you may be giving away your power. When you disagree with someone senior to you, learn to leverage these great opportunities. Use them to shine by sharing who you are and revealing yourself as an impact player in the organization. Most senior people will take notice when someone stands firm in their own strength, and that will grow your influence. Champion yourself by acknowledging that what you bring to the table is as valid as any other contribution.
Many women in business, minorities, and introverts find these ideas help them project confidence and capability, positioning themselves for advancement. And everyone will grow as a leader from sounding more sure of themselves and presenting their ideas effectively! By the way, these ideas will also help you increase your executive presence in virtual meetings, so even if you’re working remotely, rest assured that you can put them to good use.
Projects That Will Raise Your Profile at Work
Casey was facing a dilemma. She had always considered herself a leader. And she’d always been considered a leader by others. At work, she consistently brought out the best in her people by encouraging them, listening to them, empowering them, and letting them know they were important and that their opinions mattered.
Lately, however, Casey had become the Reluctant Leader. She felt she was not being noticed for all her hard work and accomplishments, yet she didn’t feel comfortable talking about her talents or publicly calling attention to all her accomplishments.
In recent meetings and encounters with her boss and other C-level employees, she found herself consciously choosing not to speak up when she knew she should. She wondered if she had just come down with a temporary case of shyness, or if this had the potential to become a real problem. In discussing it with me, Casey listed these reasons for her reluctance to speak up:
- I’m afraid of stepping on people’s toes.
- I feel like people know my strengths and they should ask for my input.
- Sometimes I feel like punishing people for not listening to me by letting them struggle to find the answers on their own.
- I even think sometimes that I have the wrong answer and don’t want to embarrass myself by speaking up.
As Casey’s coach, I concluded two things: On the one hand, she had probably become a bit too comfortable in her comfort zone. Sometimes it’s easy to figure that “once a leader, always a leader,” so you quit trying to raise your visibility with the bosses. Casey had been operating in this mode for quite some time. On the other hand, she was feeling more anxious lately because she sensed it was time to work toward advancement. She knew she had leveled up her skill set, but she feared being perceived in an unfavorable light if she put herself out there more.
I offered Casey this checklist of ideas to jumpstart her effort to make herself more visible.
10 – Volunteer for a high visibility project.
Look for something that has serious consequences at the senior management level, or that has been perceived to be challenging or risky by others. Focus on something with real results, including bottom-line impact.
11 – Propose a bright idea to a recurring problem on the right occasion.
If you have a great idea or an answer to some recurring problem, look for the right occasion to speak up, preferably in a meeting where top brass are present. Volunteer to make it happen, too—don’t just leave it on the table.
12 – Find cross-departmental opportunities that will expand your visibility.
If you work in accounting, look for a project in sales, marketing, or communications. If you work in sales, look for ways to get a thorough understanding of the support functions in the company. It will make you a better sales manager, and your superiors will notice your initiative.
Don’t wait until you feel comfortable to start changing your approach. Nobody’s perfect, and even if you implement all of these action items, you’ll make mistakes along the way. Don’t let that discourage you. Just dust yourself off and keep talking.
Casey implemented each of these ideas over the next month, along with some of the ideas for speaking up in meetings discussed above. She began to enjoy the challenge of making meaningful connections with powerful people and asserting her opinions throughout a meeting. Her reluctance to speak up all but disappeared, and she was once again the leader she knew herself to be.
Which ideas discussed here will you put into action this week? Make a plan for how to implement them, and contact Joel for personalized coaching that will help you raise your profile at work.
