THE COURAGE TO SPEAK YOUR MIND

Over the years, I've been surprised by the number of times I've been promoted because of my willingness to speak up. My bosses have said to me, “The one thing I know about you, Harry, is that you will tell me exactly what you think, and not what you think I want to hear.” The reason speaking my mind became natural for me was that over the years I developed enough true self-confidence to know that voicing my recommendations was precisely what the company was paying me for. My job was to become knowledgeable in areas that were valuable to the company. Therefore, my responsibility to the bosses—whether managers one or several levels above me, or the board of directors—was not to tell them what I thought they wanted to hear but to tell them what I really thought they needed to know. Speaking up was simply the right thing to do.

I know that some people believe that the cultures of their organizations simply do not permit team members to speak their minds, especially if it means questioning or challenging their bosses' points of view. They simply don't feel they can do it. When I've been in those situations, I've always asked myself, “What is the worst thing that can happen if I speak up?” If the worst outcome was that I would get fired, then, at the risk of seeming arrogant (which I most certainly never intend to be), I knew that this outcome would be the company's loss. I had specific skills and talents that the organization needed, and the company would be worse off without me. So whenever I approached my manager or another leader with my recommendations, I would say, “You're the boss, and obviously you will make the final decision. Because you are the leader, your perspective may be different than mine, and you may know more than I do. However, based on everything I know and for the following reasons, here's what I recommend and here's why ...”

To develop the courage to speak up—that is, to develop true self-confidence—you first need to master the principles of self-reflection and balance. One strengthens and affirms the other. Suppose you've given your boss your recommendation about a decision that has a direct impact on a project you've been leading, but he chooses to act in a completely opposite direction. In such a situation, it is hard to put your ego aside. After all, you've taken ownership of what you were asked to do; you've put in many hours, and you've thought deeply about the topic. Although you don't believe that you have all the answers, you know your opinion is informed—not simply a gut reaction or an opinion based on cursory study.

At this point, engaging in self-reflection can help you consider whether you've left any stone unturned. No matter how thorough your analysis or informed your opinion, it is quite possible, and even probable, that others know more about the situation than you do. And every situation is affected by variables and exogenous factors, of which you may not be fully aware. Further, whereas you are focused on your specific project, your boss sees the bigger picture, including how a particular initiative or situation fits into the company's overall strategy.

By engaging in self-reflection, you can ask yourself why you feel so strongly about your recommendation. Have you looked at every option? What is it your boss sees that you do not? What other factors have influenced the boss's decision? Without any judgment or self-condemnation, reflect further on your motivation. Are you trying to be right, or to do the right thing? It may not be as easy as it seems to discern between the two. Why are you so vested in a particular outcome? Are you trying to be the hero and showcase how smart you are? Or do you feel assured that your recommendation is the only logical deduction to be made, based on a thorough analysis?

If you are convinced that you have put your ego aside, you can use balance—the ability to look at a situation from every possible angle—to move forward. Seek out a variety of opinions on the issue by speaking with colleagues, peers in the organization, and maybe even leaders of other teams and other departments. Your purpose is not to dissect your boss's decision so that you can prove him wrong. Rather, you are looking to challenge your own perspective and the conclusion that you have reached through your analysis. It may very well be that in the process of engaging others in discussion, you discover another aspect that you hadn't thought of previously, which supports your boss's position. As you seek input from others, self-reflection will help you keep your eye on the bigger goal of doing the right thing for the good of the organization.

At the end of the process, having engaged in self-reflection and followed the principle of balance to gain a fuller understanding of the situation, you are in a position to revisit your recommendation. You may have changed your mind, you may have affirmed your original opinion, or you may have developed a deeper perspective that will help you present your original recommendation to your boss in a different light. If on further reflection and analysis you have changed your mind, then tell your manager that you now agree with his decision and why. Because you are not motivated by the need to be right, admitting that you have changed your mind after further study and talking to people will let your boss know that you are truly committed to doing the right thing.

If, however, you stand by your original recommendation—and now feel more strongly about it—then you have to decide on the best course of action. You may just need another meeting with your boss to explain your understanding. Or you may have to escalate the matter to the next level.

After voicing your concerns to your boss, if you are still not satisfied that her decision is the correct course of action, you might need to take the issue to a more senior manager. If this is the case, you might say to your boss, “I am not trying to go around you or tell you what to do, but for the good of the organization, I feel I should present my views on the topic to someone else in the organization.” As long as you are respectful and can face the worst-case scenario that you may get fired, being truly self-confident and holding your conviction that the company must do the right thing will encourage you to take these actions.