Ask the Coach - November 7th
By: Merrill Pierce
Dear Coach,
I have had a few things happen at work that have left me feeling confused and upset. I won’t go into the specifics, but it has to do with someone’s actions and how this impacts the job we are expected to do.
My question is, how do I bring this to the attention of my boss, without feeling like a snitch or worse, not being believed. The individual has been with the company for longer than I have and holds a higher position, so I am concerned that my boss may not be open to what I am telling her. I am worried that if this continues, our work will suffer, people will quit and ultimately, I could get blamed for what’s happening.
Thank you for your help
First let me say that speaking up at work is so important If you and others do not speak up, then you're not providing the value that your company or your customers are paying you for. Even more importantly, bad things happen when people don't speak up. Shoddy work gets done. Mistakes go uncorrected. Hazards unnoticed.
But speaking up isn't always easy. It usually breeds some level of conflict that can cause discomfort—even if just in the short term. And if you don't do it right, you could end up creating enemies or losing business. So, if you need to speak up, you need to do it thoughtfully and at the right time. Consider the following 3 tips for your decision to say something, or let it go….
Consider the importance of what you are bringing up
Are you considering speaking up about something that is critical to the companies mission? Does it involve physical safety? Is the survival of your organization at stake? If you answered "yes" to questions like these, then you need to find a way to speak up because you're talking about important stuff.
Conversely, if you're considering speaking up about something that, while irksome, doesn't fall in the category of "important," consider letting it go. As they say: Don't sweat the small stuff.Be the provider of solutions
When you're speaking up about something important, you want people to listen. And people listen when you've earned their respect. But how do you do that? A couple of ways:
First, don't be the person that speaks up every time or about everything. If you're that person, eventually people will stop listening because they don't think that you're speaking up to help as much as to vent or hear yourself speak. Or worse, people could start seeing your speaking up as an annoyance.Second, be the person who speaks up to move the group toward a solution. Don't just bring a problem to light—propose a solution!
Test your ideas before you say something or speak up
One way to maximize the value you bring and mitigate political risk is to run your ideas by peers and mentors you trust. Identify people in your company , your industry, or people you trust " who will give you honest feedback about what you're planning to speak up about. Ask them to tell you how you're coming off. Do you sound like you're complaining? Proactive? Reasonable? Like you care about the success of the company or about yourself? If you get the right feedback, you'll be able to fine tune what you speak up about and make it land the way you intend.
Speaking up at work isn't easy. It takes courage to get past the discomfort we often feel around speaking up, and it takes skill to make sure you're speaking up in a way that's effective.
I encourage you to think about where in your work or your business you could be speaking up more to bring more value to your employer. If this individual is putting the business, company, employees at risk, and you feel it could backfire on you – it is your responsibility to say something. However, if you feel it's unsafe to speak up, just make sure there's real danger there, and that it's not just in your head.
Good luck!
Merrill
