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Are You Speaking Up For Yourself Enough?

be heard boundaries resilience speaking up strategy Jun 01, 2023

My daughter Megan recently graduated from the University of San Diego. Being the youngest in the family with two brothers who were Division 1 athletes, and who made it through college seemingly easily and now successfully into the ‘real world’, there have been some big shoes to fill (at least in her mind:).

I’ve told her over the years that her traits of resilience, determination, hard work, and love for others cannot easily be taught, and those are the traits of some of the most successful people in the world.

I shared with her that greatness is often born from struggle. It’s as if G-d, the universe, or whatever higher power you believe in, wants to give us a big shove, see us fall on our face (maybe a few times), and see how we handle getting up, dusting off, and moving forward to see if we can handle what’s in store for us.

If we learn, grow, and persevere, that seems to be when the magic happens. The next step toward what we are truly capable of.

Now that Megan is heading i...

Spoken Over by Peers or Leadership?

be heard impact visibility voice Feb 03, 2022

Spoken Over by Peers or Leadership?

Have you ever found yourself as the ‘only’ in the room (or in the Zoom room)? According to the 2021 McKinsey Women in the Workplace Report, the pipeline for women in leadership is losing ground, and the frustration and emotional tax that goes along with feeling like you’re the ‘only’ adds to burn out and the resignation of our future female leaders.

Imagine if you’re a ‘double only’. The only woman AND part of a group that is further marginalized within our gender. The flame of contribution, conscious capitalism, compassion, and invaluable perspective and knowledge is likely extinguished or dimmed even more rapidly.

Whether you’re an ‘only’ or a ‘double only’, how can your voice be amplified even more for the greater good of our cultures, companies, and the women coming after us?

Let’s start with having a bigger voice at your next meeting or presentation and empowering our female colleagues to do the same.

From a human performance perspective, here’s h...

3 Ways to Speak Up When You Know You Should

be heard speak up Sep 01, 2021

3 Ways to Speak Up When You Know You Should

I think it’s safe to say that most of us have found ourselves in this predicament. Clamming up when we know we should speak up. Maybe it’s an awkward situation. Maybe there is a lot at stake. Maybe it’s just easier not to say anything. Whether it’s in our living room or in the boardroom, your voice needs to be heard. Change for the better will require us all to speak up when our gut and our heart tell us to do so.

Easier said than done, right?

Yep, and we’re not alone.

A recent survey done by LeanIn and SurveyMonkey polled approximately 7,400 women and men in the workplace. While 80% of those polled considered themselves allies, less than half of the women (most notably women of color) say they have strong allies in the workplace.

Also, consider that it can be extremely difficult to ‘influence up’. In other words, share your perspective with senior leadership especially when there is a lot at stake. Maybe you are asked to do something th...