Finding Your Voice to Increase Work Performance and Satisfaction

Finding your voice is one of the most critical things you can do for your work performance. It isn’t always easy. Many people allow themselves to fade into the background of meetings and events, choosing silence over admitting a lack of knowledge, taking ownership of mistakes, intruding on existing processes or groups, or challenging the existing routine. This process, however, doesn’t accomplish anything. Wondering how finding your voice increases your work performance and satisfaction? Consider this:

Finding your voice increases the odds that everyone will learn. 

Have you ever held your silence because you don’t understand something? If so, what are the odds that you were the only one in the room who didn’t understand? Instead of smiling, nodding, and pretending that you knew exactly what was going on, what would have happened if you had asked a question? It might have brought illumination not only to you, but to others in the room, as well.

Finding your voice offers new opportunities for creative problem solving.

When you have an idea, remaining silent means that you’ll never give your business the opportunity to grow. Sure, it might challenge the status quo and shake things up; but in the process, it might create incredible growth for your business.

Finding your voice acknowledges your fallibility and frees others to be equally fallible.

People are going to make mistakes. The greater your responsibility, the greater the significance of your mistakes–and that’s okay. By owning up and taking responsibility, you make it safe for others to admit their mistakes and learn from them.

By finding your voice, you can drastically change the way your company does business and create an attitude of safety and creativity that leads to positive collaboration and higher learning for everyone involved.