Today, I want to share some practical tips on how YOU can find your voice in the workplace. Most, if not all of us, have experienced the feeling of keeping silent at work while knowing the solutions to various problems or feeling the need to establish boundaries. Not speaking up can limit your opportunities and keep your higher ups from knowing who you are, what you stand for, and what you’re able to really do.
Don’t stay silent, let’s jump right into this episode so you can learn, or relearn, how to start speaking up and affecting change in your life, in your career, and in the workplace.
[00:01 - 02:18] Opening Segment
- Hello and welcome back!
- Video episodes on https://keishashields.com/podcast
- There are a lot of things that keep us from speaking up in the workplace
- If you’ve experienced this, this is for you
[02:19 - 09:12] The Effects of Not Speaking Up
- I talk about the challenges of not speaking up in the workplace
- Overlooked for promotion
- Buried in work and responsibility without compensation or time
- Overlooked as a valuable voice for solutions to problems
- I’ve experienced what it’s like to have solutions but not speak up
- If only I had the courage and the strength to share, this problem could have been long gone
- Another challenge is that people don’t get to know who you really are
- Stuck in the Momma Bear Zone
- Colleagues come to you for everything, but the higher ups don’t see your value
- People need to be able to see your qualities, especially if you’re trying to move up in your career
[09:13 - 18:06] Strategy for Finding Your Voice
- Be ‘One-Hun’ed’ percent real with yourself
- Do you actually have what it takes?
- Be able to be willing to deal with the repercussions that come from your voice
- People may try to diminish or discredit you
- Other people will have opinions about you
- They see the embodiment of power
- Know what you’re actually trying to accomplish
- This will determine whether you should speak up about certain things versus others
- You need to know WHY it’s important for you to speak up
- What is the issue and what are you trying to do?
- I talk about other women I’ve seen in the workforce getting over looked
- I give examples of how and when to speak up
- I will be giving more tips on my website and YouTube
- Links below
[18:07 - 24:03] Benefit of Speaking Up
- Feeling more powerful
- Have you ever experienced this in your life?
- You develop more confidence
- Speak from assuredness to make informed decisions
- You can then move to level 2 of speaking up for yourself
- People start to listen
- This happens especially when they see your solutions working
- I used to ruminate on the things I said which created anxiety
- The first time or two it can be anxiety ridden
- Over time you begin to drop your shoulders
- Sometimes you just need to relearn how to do this
[24:04 - 26:35] Closing Segment
