Member-only story
How to Get Your Team to Actually Speak Up
When you ask your team to share their ideas, thoughts, suggestions, or feedback, how many of them actually speak up?
When you ask your team to share their ideas, thoughts, suggestions, or feedback, how many of them actually speak up? Do they share what you want to hear or what they’re actually thinking in their heads?
Getting your team to voice their true ideas and opinions is important because not knowing what they’re thinking can lead to confusion, misalignment of expectations and misunderstandings. Not speaking up also leads to groupthink―people in the team conform to dominant opinions without questioning their validity. Mistakes that could have been flagged early go unnoticed. Critical insights and alternative solutions are missed. Thinking that their inputs don’t matter also leaves team members feeling undervalued, frustrated and unheard.
It doesn’t matter what I say; no one listens anyway.
I guess it’s fine, whatever everyone else decides.
Every decision seems already made before we’re even asked.
Why bother sharing my ideas? They never get considered.
I’ve brought this up before, but nothing ever changes.
When people in the team are empowered to speak openly, the feeling that their thoughts, ideas and concerns matter makes them feel valued and respected which builds a sense of connection and inclusion, makes them feel capable of influencing decisions and enhances their confidence to participate actively.
Even when we don’t agree, I feel like my perspective is respected.
It’s great to know my ideas make a difference.
I appreciate that my input was taken seriously.
I feel like I can be myself and still be heard.
It’s refreshing to be part of a team that values openness.
Team’s achieve better outcomes when all its members speak the same language. But to do that you need to get everyone on the same page―invite differences of opinion, challenge assumptions and address concerns.
“Harmony itself is good, I…
