“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it. If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.” – Nora Robert
My inspiration for this short post came from a candidate whom I interviewed and during the assessment, it was clear he did not stand a chance against other shortlisted candidates, and I told him as much. However, that did not deter him from asking, “Can I at least get an internship opportunity with the client?”
Well, I told him we would check with the client if they are open to having an intern on board, and when we did check, client was available to have a meeting with the candidate.
My point, he did speak up. He did ask.
I have come to note that some companies do encourage a culture of speaking up yet in other companies, this is foreign to them. Whatever the management decides is final and what such companies fail to realize is that this becomes a reason for employee turn over as they leave to seek better companies which will appreciate their voice and their ideas.
So yes, as much as is a two way street, you can always start speaking up if you haven’t been doing so. An article by Forbes gives 6 reasons why you must speak up at work to thrive, i.e Command Respect, Better Your Performance, Strengthen Your Influence, Solidify Your Brand, Find Unexpected Opportunities and Accelerate Your Career.
If you are not fully convinced, see what this writer has to say on why you should speak up;
“You Wouldn’t Have Been Hired if Your Boss Didn’t Want Your Input,
Even Half-Baked Ideas Can Start Important Conversations.
If You Don’t Speak Up, Nobody Will Speak Up for You”
Perhaps you really do want to speak up but do not know where to start?
Here are a few tips that I really liked as they are actionable and very thoughtful.
Challenge yourself today to speak up. Let your voice be heard, let your stand be known.
And if you need to change your jobs to get into an environment that listens, talk to us or check available opportunities on our website.
