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Your brain doesn’t always help you. In fact… it likely shuts down more of your ideas than anyone else.
Your ideas are your superpower. Your unique insight. Yet… your brain has biases that prevent you from sharing them.
“Oh, well John’s idea is better than mine, plus he’s the team lead.”
“Sara is an expert, she must know.”
“My manager has more experience than I do – she would have mentioned it if it was a good idea.”
“Be a voice, not an echo.”
This is called 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝘽𝙞𝙖𝙨 – where you defer your thoughts, ideas & suggestions because you think people with a higher title or more experience “know better”. It’s often automatic. You may not even know why you’re not sharing your ideas. You just feel that hesitation to speak up.
And so, you keep quiet.
The thing is… expertise and title don’t automatically make better ideas. Actually, expertise can limit the imagination, the ability to see new solutions.
The most creative and innovative ideas come from a varied experience. And your voice brings that value.
When you feel that hesitation to share, move past it.
A tip I use in meetings to do this… Share your idea after the count of 3:
1. Notice you have an idea
2. Count to 3
3. Say “I have a thought” as soon as the person speaking finishes
4. Share your idea
Use “3” as the signal to yourself you are going to act. It can be hard to share right away… but it’s easy to start counting. It gives you the momentum you need to act.
Also saying “I have a thought” out loud gets you started. It’s an easier thing to say… and prevents you from turning back.
Try it out and let me know what you think.
Remember… your voice needs to be heard!
“Be a voice, not an echo.”
Albert Einstein
Theoretical Physicist
