Who, What, When.
Who can say something; What they can say; and When they can say it.
This is a cornerstone of culture, whether good or bad.
(Note that I didn’t say a cornerstone of corporate culture. It is that, but it’s much broader; it’s a cornerstone of all culture, whether that’s family, community, corporate, or country.)
Who has a voice? What do leaders – what do you, as a leader – allow to be said? Does “speaking truth to power” have a place? Is there space for people to disagree?
I’m not suggesting disrespect or argument – though we must be careful how we define those terms.
But as a leader, you might be surprised to learn that your team may not feel comfortable raising issues that, perhaps, would be important to hear about. If you find yourself doing most of the talking, you might be suppressing others’ voices. If you secretly (or not so secretly) believe your way is inevitably the best way, you’re almost certainly suppressing others’ voices – and their ideas and creativity.
You may not be silencing voices intentionally or with any sort of malice.
But you may be silencing them, suppressing them, nonetheless.
And that’s not a path forward for high-performing teams of engaged employees.
Nor is it a path forward for your own leadership advancement and success.
(And of course it’s not a path forward for healthy communities and strong countries.)
Last weekend – Saturday April 5th 2025, to be precise – many people across the U.S. found their voice and spoke out, loud and clear at the HandsOff protests. Over 5.2 million people, per the latest estimates.
You may or may not have been part of the protests. If you were, you experienced first-hand the power of having a voice and using it.
Whether or not you attended, there are other ways to speak out. Just one option: the app 5Calls, which provides a list of issues, the names and phone numbers of your Congresspeople, and a script to use. I’ll admit I hate making phone calls, but sometimes we have to do what’s right, even when it’s uncomfortable.