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We live in an age where we have many avenues to voice our thoughts. In the business world, it can be tempting to want to contribute to the conversation whenever we can.
Speaking up has a vital purpose in the business world, especially when people’s physical and emotional safety are on the line. But there’s a time and place for everything. Sometimes, as a business leader, it can be more optimal to say nothing. Why? In certain situations, saying something comes with risks. It can create unnecessary drama, cause hurt feelings and damage relationships. It can also lead to premature conclusions, miscommunications and decisions being made based on incomplete information. Moreover, there are instances when what’s being discussed is out of our hands, and speaking up won’t change anything.
As the saying goes, silence is golden. Silence gives us time to think before we speak. In my view, it’s better to say nothing than to speak in haste and say the wrong thing.
Here are seven questions to ask yourself to determine whether saying something is worth it —or if silence is more strategic.
1. Are ethics —or people’s physical or emotional safety —at risk?
The first question I believe you should ask yourself before deciding whether to speak up is whether ethics—or someone’s physical or emotional safety — are at risk. Such cases call for speaking up; in my view, it’s our responsibility.
For example, you might notice that your business partner is pushing for questionable accounting practices or wants to curb certain policies that protect employees’ physical or emotional well-being. By getting the facts in order and speaking up, you can avoid a disastrous outcome.
2. Do I have all of the information?
As far as getting the facts in order, doing so is vital. Before deciding whether to speak up, you should also determine if you have all of the information about the matter at hand. Voicing your thoughts without knowing the full story can have consequences.
For instance, say your team is telling you about a project delay during a meeting. During the meeting, they blame another department for the delay. Before criticizing the other department, it’s wiser to first get a better understanding of all of the factors involved. Upon further investigation, you might uncover that the department has been dealing with staffing shortages due to illness or that they are juggling multiple company-wide projects. By waiting to speak until you have all of the information, you’ll be able to facilitate more productive, thoughtful conversations.
3. Is this matter within my domain of responsibility or expertise?
There are various issues in the business world, but not every issue will fall within your domain of responsibility or expertise.
Of course, there are certain instances where even if a problem doesn’t apply to your responsibility or expertise, you should consider speaking up. Different perspectives are valuable. Additionally, as mentioned earlier, problems where ethics and others’ physical or emotional safety are at stake warrant speaking up. However, other situations don’t. For instance, if you’re the vice president of sales, and there’s a discussion about IT infrastructure changes, your silence might be best unless you’re able to identify specific sales impacts.
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4. Am I emotional right now?
It’s also important to determine whether you’re emotional at the moment you’re considering saying something.
When we’re emotional, we can end up saying things we regret later —and it can be hard to walk back from that. By pausing, you can assess the situation more effectively. If you do choose to speak up, give yourself time to find the right words.
5. Is it safe to say something?
Unfortunately, there can be hostile dynamics in the business world. Moreover, sometimes, our personal circumstances make it unsafe to voice our thoughts because doing so can threaten our livelihoods. In such cases, it’s usually best not to draw unnecessary attention to yourself.
Evaluate whether you’re in an environment where it’s safe to speak up, how the person you want to voice your thoughts to might take it and whether your personal circumstances enable you to speak up without fear of losing your livelihood. Picture this: You just got hired to be the chief marketing officer of a beauty company after having been out of work for close to a year due to a layoff. Your new boss, the CEO, wants to eliminate the generous return policy and instead only give store credit for returns. You think this idea would cause sales to decrease. However, you’ve heard from your colleagues in the C-suite that the CEO does not tolerate differing opinions. Plus, you can’t gamble with becoming unemployed again. In that situation, speaking up can put your employment at risk.
6. Will saying something create unnecessary friction?
There are times when saying something creates unnecessary friction. Granted, friction is necessary to positively impact the world. The positive advancements we read about in history books didn’t happen without friction.
But there’s also such a thing as unnecessary fiction. For instance, if two of your board members have a conflict that stems from an issue in their personal lives, saying something such as “What happened is so wrong” or “You both need to move past this immediately” could escalate tensions and draw you into a problem that you don’t need to be involved with.
7. Ultimately, will speaking up contribute to solving the problem?
Finally, you should consider whether speaking up contributes to solving the problem. In the fast-paced business world, how you spend your time and where you direct your attention matter.
If speaking up won’t actually help solve the problem, and will instead create more fuel for the fire or simply add noise, then your silence may be the most productive course of action. In my view, sometimes the most valuable thing we can offer others is space, not additional commentary that might complicate matters more.
