Week 85: Your Duty To Speak Up – #AlphaFemaleFriday

Week 85: Your Duty To Speak Up – #AlphaFemaleFriday

“ WEEK 85 / 133 – 133 WEEKS TO SUCCESS “

I came across a quote the other day that made me think about how important it is for us to use our voice when feel so inclined to do so. The idea was that we must speak up when there are other people who want to be heard but are not, no matter how much they scream. Have you ever felt the need to speak up but were afraid of what others might think? We’ve all been there, whether it was growing up in school or just last week in the breakroom—or boardroom.

I was reading an article about the woman behind seeing to it that Facebook’s hiring was as diverse as it can be. Statists show that the more diverse the workplace, the better chances they have at performing cohesively, and therefore contributing to a better bottom line. It came as no surprise to me because can you imagine a workplace where everyone came from the same place and all had a similar way of thinking? Where’s the room for innovation? When can you reach an “a-hah” moment beyond: a-hah, maybe we need new people?

If you don’t speak up, then you won’t ever be heard. If you don’t listen, then you might never know what you’re missing. I was on the phone with a client the other day who runs her own event planning business. We were just getting to know each other when I mentioned that I would be going on vacation in the coming days for my wedding and honeymoon. She became so excited and gleefully shared a few words of wisdom, to which I happily replied, “thank you! I love free advice!” If I hadn’t mentioned this fact to her, and if she didn’t feel so inclined to speak what was on her mind, I might have missed out on some great planning tips.

Point is, when you speak your mind, some people will dismiss what you have to say and that’s fine. The most important thing is that you put yourself out there, and whatever happens next is out of your control. What you can control is how you lead the conversation, become a part of it, or decide to leave it anytime.

Cheers,

Kelly

@AlphaFemSociety tweets by @KellyRGonzales

About:

Each week, I take a tip from Lois P. Frankel’s book, Nice Girls Still Don’t Get the Corner Office, and explore how each of these tips affect myself and other women in similar positions on the road to becoming the women we want to be. There are far and few between who are a few steps behind me, and many more who are far advanced. I found that Lois P. Frankel’s advice applied to novice, intermediates, and experts alike. It helped me see that I was already doing right, served as a reminder to keep on doing what I was doing and how to keep that momentum going. The book also showed me areas where I could improve, and gave realistic tips to jump on board. There are a total of 133 tips, and explore one tip per week in a program I call: 133 Weeks to Success.

Join the movement using the hashtag #133WeeksToSuccess with posts which are posted every #AlphaFemaleFriday.