3 Reasons You Should Speak Up More at Work - The Muse

3 Reasons You Should Speak Up More at Work - The Muse3 Reasons You Should Speak Up More at WorkHeres a situation Im sure youre familiar with Youve come up with an exciting idea that you think you and your colleagues will benefit from. But even though you feel your thinking is solid, youre too afraid of speaking up about whats on your mind. Sure, you think itd be smart, but what if your anfhrer doesnt agree? And even worse, what if she thinks your entire concept is dumb? If youre anything like me, youve kept your mouth shut when it came to this, and then watched as a colleague raised zu sich hand to propose a very similar idea that your boss loves.While it sucks when that happens, its also proof that youre smart enough to speak up more often when you have a good idea at work. If youre still feeling anxious about it, here are a few more reasons why you are totally qualified to let your boss know that youve come up with something awesome.1. You Wouldnt Have Been Hired if Your Boss Didnt Want Your InputNo matter how hard you want to be on yourself, the reality is that you were not hired just because your boss settled on someone who was just good enough. The odds are that you went through a lengthy interview process that involved your manager picking you from a pile of resumes and continuing to move you through the process Unless youre working for the most unmotivated company on the face of the earth, your boss probably thought deeply about the type of person she wanted to hire for your role. Because of that effort, she was excited to bring you aboard to hear your thoughts on a lot of things. So, not only does she think youre smart enough to speak up about the ideas you have, she probably expects you to do it more often. 2. Even Half-Baked Ideas Can Start Important ConversationsWhen it comes to a major project that will take months to complete and require an enormous budget, its maybe not the best idea to say, This thought is half-baked right now. However, if youre talking to your boss casually, its perfectly OK to say, Ive been thinking about this idea lately, and although I dont have the answers, I was wondering if you had any feedback. In the past, I used to get clammy around my supervisors in any context, and I assumed that any thought I ran by authority figures required a detailed spec sheet before I spoke up. However, in most cases, thats the furthest thing from the truth. Even a half-baked idea might remind your manager about something important shes been meaning to tackle. And when she remembers to get around it, dont be surprised if you get a lot of credit for bringing that back to the surface.3. If You Dont Speak Up, Nobody Will Speak Up for YouYes, its frustrating when one of your colleagues spits out an idea that sounds almost identical to something you were thinking about. However, its not always guaranteed that someone else on your team will have the same idea. So, if youre feeling inspired and have something to speak up about, i ts up to you to take the initiative and say whats on your mind. While you might be thinking that the worst-case scenario involves someone else getting credit for something you thought of, whats even worse is when youve got a world-changing idea that youre just keeping to yourself, especially when your little secret could improve your companys bottom line. Sure, you dont want to merely propose a bunch of bad ideas willy-nilly, but unless youre suggesting that every day should be Hawaiian shirt day, youre doing your entire team a disservice by keeping your mouth shut. Its no secret that speaking up to your boss, someone whom you respect and admire, can be scary, but that doesnt mean youre not smart enough to bring up an awesome initiative that youve got up your sleeve. The fact that youre even reading this article is a good indicator that youre not always wasting peoples time with your stupid thoughts. If youve come up with something that could help your team take a step forward, ther es no harm in saying something- so be bold and let everyone know whats on your mind.