Trophy Kid to Shot-Caller Rule #1: Speak Up without Talking Down

By: Nick Tasler

The one thing middle managers and executives alike from companies of all shapes and sizes agree on is that credibility comes from speaking up. In the knowledge economy where information is worth more than its weight in gold, it is critical to be an active participant in the knowledge exchange. As young employees, there are two fatally flawed tendencies that get in the way of effectively speaking up.

1. PROBLEM: TAKING WITHOUT GIVING

Remember this: Your employer is not your teacher. The importance of being a good learner was relentlessly drilled into us from the very first time our miniature shadows darkened the doors of our kindergarten classrooms. While growing up, our lives were dominated by authority figures—coaches, teachers and parents—whose job was primarily to teach us. To maker their jobs easier, they taught us how important it is for us to be willing to learn. Managers, however, need more than just your willingness to learn. A manager’s job is about getting things done and they need your help for that. Good managers don’t mind teaching you, but all of them expect you to do more than soak up knowledge.

SOLUTION: Paraphrase if you must, just contribute something. Ideally, you’ve done some homework or solid thinking before a meeting or during an email exchange so that you have something new to add. But as my Gen Y friend Eric told me “if you’re in a meeting and you really can’t think of anything new to add, then at least paraphrase a main point.” His managers agree. It shows that you’re actively participating and not just being a parasite on other people’s mental energy. And it really can help to crystallize fuzzy concepts for other people who maybe aren’t totally getting the big picture yet.

2. PROBLEM: Speaking with Unearned Authority

Personally, I’ve never had a problem voicing my opinion. I was that nerd in the 200-student lecture in college that raised my hand to ask the professor a question. For those of you more like me, remember this: It’s good to speak up, but bad to be a know-it-all. Bosses and co-workers want your contributions. What they don’t want is your baseless certainty, your sarcasm or your need to constantly display your superior intellect. I made this mistake more times than I care to admit when I started my career, and my ideas always suffered because of it.

SOLUTION: Master the Art of Suggestion. Even when you’re making a statement, phrase it as a suggestion. Instead of saying “This apple is clearly red,” say “I wonder if this apple is red, even though some parts of it look green like Sam mentioned?” Statements come across as argumentative even when you don’t intend them to be. Suggestions come across as though you’re trying to building on other people’s ideas instead of demolishing them to make room for your own.