Inspired Leadership

As I sit here writing this post, I can hear fireworks in the distance.  For those of us who live within earshot of Walt Disney World, this is a nightly occurrence, but tonight, they sound just a little grander.

In keeping with my annual ritual, I spent some time this evening reflecting on the past 12 months, going through my mental balance sheet noting those areas where I achieved my goals, and those where I fell short.

I have so many things to be thankful for in my life, and this year provided a number of blessings for which I am truly grateful.  But as you might expect from a card-carrying perfectionist, I also ended up judging myself rather harshly in some areas and I started to feel the weight of having let myself down by not achieving everything I set out to do this year.

As I thought about it more though, I realized something that immediately pumped a jolt of optimism into my musings.  Every year we get the best gift of all on December 31st…a great cosmic “do-over” and it is available to everyone who wants it.

So if you meant to do something, but never quite got around to it….

If you got distracted, stalled your progress and fell short of your goal…

Or if you got in a rut and let the river of life carry you downstream rather than actively navigating your own course…

…you are not alone.  But don’t wallow for too long because at 12:01 am, the universe, in it’s infinite wisdom, will wipe our slate clean and a brand new year will lie before us like freshly fallen snow, waiting for each of us to make our mark.  It’s sort of a cosmic “Mulligan”, another chance to hit the best shot of your life, and there is nothing stopping you from doing it.

All it takes is a little self-discipline and some focused action.  Commit every day to doing something, anything, as long as it moves you towards your goals.  Leave any guilt or disappointment for having fallen short on a goal in 2011 behind and turn your face towards the dawn of a new day.  It’s a new year, a new chance to achieve those goals that seem to roll over year after year as part of your new year’s resolutions.  2011 is about to become part of history.  What lessons have you learned from this year that will help you to make 2012 the best year of your life?  There’s no time like the present…all sins are forgiven!

Grab this new year with both hands and give it all you’ve got.  Next New Year’s eve is promised to no one, so be determined to hold nothing back.  If you knew this was to be your last year on earth, what would you want to do?  Who are the people you’d want to spend time with?  What is the legacy you want to leave?

Don’t waste a moment of 2012 on people, things or activities that do not bring you joy, elevate others or serve your best interest.  You owe it to yourself and to all those people who love you to be happy, healthy, and to live full out.  I for one, can’t wait to see what you do next year…I just know it will be awesome!

Happy New Year My Friends!

I have worked with a number of individuals over the years who were so focused on what a management position could do for them that they lost sight of the true nature of leadership.  Their first questions were about vacations, bonus plans and corporate cards.  Their sole purpose for becoming a manager was to enjoy the perks.  They missed the point.

A leader’s primary function is to serve the best interests of their people.  Focusing on “what’s in it for me” makes you an arrogant leader and gives people the impression that you will sacrifice them for your own agenda.  It will also erode any trust you have developed with them.

Some managers think they can hide their personal agenda and spin situations so that they appear to be taking action on behalf of others.  If you are one of these leaders and you think you are being cleaver, I’m here to tell you you’re not.  Chances are very good that your team is far more perceptive than you give them credit for being.  They see through your smoke screens and they know when you are promoting yourself at their expense, especially when you don’t hold yourself to the same standards you enforce with them or when you use your title as a “get out of jail free” card for bad behavior.  Most people can smell a self-serving attitude a mile away and they will want none of it.

To be successful managing others, adopt the attitude of a servant leader.   Be more concerned with helping your team members succeed than you are in promoting yourself.  Come to work every day and look for ways you can help your team by:

• Eliminating obstacles to their productivity and success
• Finding additional resources to make their jobs easier
• Showing them appreciation
• Rewarding and recognizing their achievements
• Investing in their growth and development

Servant leaders believe the path to their success lies in serving the needs of the people they lead first, not their self-interests. They are not interested in directly raising their own profile within the organization but in identifying ways they can increase the growth, cooperation and success of their team.  Become a servant leader.  Practice humility.   Remember what Ken Blanchard says, “People with humility don’t think less of themselves; they just think of themselves less.”

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“You Have to Say the Words” is Almost Here!  The book is at the printers and should be available in about two weeks!  Pre-order your copy now and you will receive it autographed and the shipping is on me! (U.S. shipping locations only)  This offer is only good for a limited time, until the book is released on September 26, 2011, so request your copy now at www.achievementpress.com or click the link below.

PRE-ORDER HERE! 

Your role as a leader is to find out where your people currently are and to get them to follow you to where you want them to be. People will not follow a leader they do not trust. One of the saddest situations I’ve observed is when someone loses her job for a behavior or performance issue she could have corrected if she had just been told about it before it got to a point of no return.

Building trust with your staff is a challenging task. The process cannot be rushed, and it can’t be granted just on the basis of your position or experience. It takes a long time to develop trust with your team members and, unfortunately, it can all be lost in an instant. Trust is absolutely that fragile and should not be taken for granted. Here are some common ways leaders break trust with their people:

• Not following through on a commitment or promise

• Gossiping

• Failing to accept responsibility for their mistakes

• Taking credit for their people’s work

• Lying

• Avoiding responsibility

• Holding on to or actively hiding information that should be shared

Avoid these and other trust-breaking behaviors. Being honest with your people about where they stand in terms of their performance is vital to building and maintaining their trust. If your people trust your intentions and they believe you to be a person of good character, you can give them almost any feedback and the relationship will survive.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and please share this post if you found it helpful to you.

Becoming an exceptional leader is as much about being honest with yourself as it is about being honest with others.  If your decisions and actions are not in alignment with your values and what you truly believe to be important, people will perceive that disconnect and they will have trouble trusting you.  In order to demonstrate respect for others you must hold as a value the importance of treating people with respect or it just won’t work. 

Your character is at the heart of who you are as a leader and as an individual.  It demonstrates to the outside world your moral and ethical compass.  Unlike other qualities you possess, character is not something you are born with.  No matter your background or family circumstances, you can make a conscious decision to choose the type of person you want to become at any time. 

A commitment to honesty is a big part of developing good character.  When you value and practice honesty by providing individuals with accurate and timely feedback on their work performance, it helps you to build a foundation of trust with your employees and gives you something to draw from when you need to address a performance situation down the road.  If you don’t truly value honesty, you will bail at the first hint of discomfort and do anything to avoid having the tough conversation. 

The last thing most managers want to do is fire someone and take it from me; you never want to be in the position of ending someone’s employment when they aren’t fully aware that their job was even in jeopardy because you weren’t totally honest with them.  I could not have continued to do this type of work for over twenty years without making a commitment to myself that I would do all that I could to help people understand the reality of their situations before it was too late. 

Accept that it is your responsibility to treat people with dignity and respect and your actions will build your credibility as a leader and promote trust between you and your team.  When you walk your talk, people trust that you mean what you say and they will see you as a person of integrity.  If your words and actions are not in alignment, you will be perceived as untrustworthy and as having a hidden agenda.  People won’t know which to believe; your walk or your talk.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and please share this post if you found it helpful to you.

What do you say when you talk to yourself?  Do you praise and support yourself with positive statements or do you chastise yourself for being inadequate and a failure?  Most of us don’t even realize how negative and self-defeating our self-talk is until someone else points it out to us. 

Do you ever find yourself thinking or saying “I can’t…” or “if I only could…” or “I can never…”?  When you say something bad about yourself like this your brain accepts is as fact and your subconscious mind hears every word.  It doesn’t care if the words or sentiment is true or not, your subconscious just accepts it as fact and moves forward carrying out that programming.  Negative self-talk undermines our confidence and introduces self-doubt and it is at the heart of everything that stands in our way of greatness. 

Here are some examples of common negative self-talk.  Do you ever say things like:

            Nothing goes right for me.

            I’m not smart enough to do that.

            I’m such a loser.

            I’d like to lose weight but I can’t seem to.

            I always freak out when I have to speak in front of a group.

            I can never catch a break.

            I’m not creative.

How can you be successful if you are filling your head with such beliefs?  This thinking may have roots in how you were raised, but it doesn’t have to stay with you forever.  You can easily begin to reprogram your negative self-talk immediately.  Send your subconscious the message to forget all that old programming and leave it in the past.  Use language that is positive, present-tensed and self-activating.  Instead of saying “I am always late”, change it to “I am able to arrive on time for meetings with time to spare anytime I want.”  Replace “I can’t” with “I CAN!” 

Concentrate on talk that supports a new and improved you, your ideal self.  Positive self-talk is your secret weapon on your journey to success.  Use it even if you don’t feel 100% confident or believe that it is true for you right now.  If you consistently catch the old negative programming and replace it with new positive affirmations of fact, you will eventually change and eliminate that self-defeating programming for good.  A phrase I’ve always been fond of seems to sum up the process well here, “Fake it until you make it!”

Imagine how much better your life will be when you decide to become your biggest raving fan and shower yourself with praise and support rather than finding ways to tear your self-image down.  Start today.  Listen for any words that you say silently to yourself or out loud to others, that reinforce your doubts, fears, or any destructive beliefs that you may currently hold.  As soon as you hear yourself saying the negative…stop!  Rewrite the statement in a positive and productive way and say it over and over again until your believe it is true.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and please share this post if you found it helpful to you.

My first book, “You Have to Say the Words: Practical Advice for Every Leader on How to Have the Tough Conversations” is finally in the process of being published.  I thought today I might give you a sample from one of the chapters on how to address sensitive or uncomfortable topics in the workplace.  I hope you enjoy it!

Not surprisingly, some of the topics that fall into the category of “Sensitive Conversations” can make the strongest leader go weak in the knees.  Sensitive topics are the last thing in the world most people want to talk about, but when these very personal issues crop up in the workplace and negatively impact performance or career advancement, they must be addressed head on. 

Examples of sensitive topics that many managers find uncomfortable to address include:

• Personal hygiene / Body odor / Bad breath
• Appropriateness of dress / Professional image
• Office romance / Sexual Behavior
• Medical / Mental health issues
• Personal or family related issues
• Alcohol / Drug abuse
• Harassment
• Bereavement

Leaders need to know how to effectively handle delicate issues such as these in the workplace with compassion and sensitivity.  If you manage enough people, you will eventually have to address a sensitive which may be negatively impacting performance, perception or team morale. 

Here are some general guidelines to consider when addressing a sensitive issue.

• Maintain the employee’s dignity at all times.  Choose a quiet setting for the conversation and protect their privacy and confidentiality. 
• Demonstrate your compassion and appreciation for how uncomfortable or embarrassing the situation might be for them through the tone of your voice, your word choice and your body language.
• Be direct and specific in your language.  You need to be very clear what you are talking about.  Don’t leave it up to them to read between the lines.
• Make sure you articulate how the sensitive issue relates to a specific performance concern.  For example, if your receptionist is wearing outfits better suited to a night club than your professional office environment, you need to make it clear that her wardrobe choice is negatively impacting the customers’ perception of the business and her credibility rather than just stating you think her blouses are cut too low.
• Be clear as to whether you are just sharing concern for them on a personal level or if the issue has begun to negatively impact their performance.  For example, someone who loses their spouse may be distracted and depressed for some period of time.  You need to make it clear when you have moved from expressing compassion over their loss to concern that their extended lack of focus is now detracting from their performance.
• Co-workers who initially are very supportive and protective of a team member who is going through a difficult personal situation can often grow tired and intolerant of that employee and their troubles if they are left to pick up the slack for too long.  Be mindful of this potential attitude and support shift on your team.
• Use your resources so that you completely understand any potential legal issues involved with addressing any medical, mental health or substance abuse situations.  For example, someone who is found to be under the influence of alcohol at work can have their employment terminated for violating policy, but depending on their circumstances, if they have an addiction and are seeking rehabilitation they may be protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act.  Seek legal advice as appropriate.
• Know when conversations need to move from expressions of concern to the disciplinary process.  Even if the issue is sensitive in nature such as a body odor issue, if it continues to linger after being addressed and negatively impacts performance, (the employee’s or their co-workers), it needs to be documented and dealt with using the company’s progressive discipline process.  Again, be aware of any extenuating legal concerns in pursuing termination.
• Follow proper procedures to investigate, document and respond to any claim of harassment, especially sexual harassment.  Maintain confidentiality to the best of your ability and protect the individuals from retaliation.  Because of the sensitive nature and potential legal exposure involved in claims of harassment, they are often diverted to Human Resources for investigation and handling.

Your comments are appreciated.  If you found this post helpful please consider sharing it with others.  Thank you!

At 4:30 a.m., 150 years ago today, the first cannon shell was fired from Fort Johnson in Charleston Harbor over Fort Sumter beginning the American Civil War.  Being a student of history my entire life, this is a rather momentous day for me.  The significance of this anniversary has renewed in me a passion for learning more about that time in our country’s history, and in particular, for acquiring a deeper understanding of the pivotal decisions our leaders made at critical times during events leading up to and throughout the Civil War. 

As mentioned in a previous post, I recently attended a Road Scholar Program in Gettysburg, PA that examined the battles of Gettysburg, Antietam and Harpers Ferry.  The guides who instructed the program were exceptional at providing us with detailed information about the men who led the troops and the life and death decisions they faced during these conflicts.  It absolutely amazes me how many of their decisions, made quickly, under incredible duress and often in the heat of battle, could have easily gone another way, totally altering the course of the war and our country’s history.  

I thought in honor of the 150^th Anniversary of the start of the Civil War, I would share with you in this and in upcoming posts, some of the information I’ve learned about these men and the qualities that distinguished them as leaders.  While their actions may be part of our past, the lessons they teach are timeless and can help us all to become more effective leaders in the world today.       

Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as one or our nation’s most extraordinary leaders.  His challenges started immediately as his election as president prompted southern states to secede from the union just before his inauguration in 1861.   From the beginning he did not enjoy the support of the majority of Americans and his inner circle in government was no exception. 

Contrary to popular practice then and today, upon accepting the presidency Lincoln did not fill his key governmental positions with people from only his political party.  One of the first ways he demonstrated his exceptional leadership was to appoint many of his adversaries to positions within his new cabinet.  In fact, two of the most important cabinet posts went to men who openly criticized the new president. 

William Seward, who had been a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860, was appointed as Secretary of State.  He had fought hard against Lincoln to win the nomination but in the end, lost to what he believe to be a less qualified and incompetent man.   Edward Stanton, who had reportedly called Lincoln a “giraffe” after an earlier meeting, was appointed Secretary of War.  Even though these men were vocal about their lack of faith in his abilities, Lincoln was able to put their obvious distain aside and select them for these critical positions because he felt despite their opinions; they were the best men for the job. 

I wonder how many of us could put aside our hurt feelings to give a former rival a career boost like that and provide them the opportunity to attack us from within our inner circle.

Lincoln was able to use his leadership skills to sway these men and eventually build strong alliances with them.  He made a point to spend time with each of them, outside of work often at their homes, getting to know them personally and showing interest in the topics and priorities that were important to them.  He paid attention to them when they spoke and did not immediately dismiss their points of view, which were often at odds with his.  He listened to their arguments and found ways to incorporate their feelings into his speeches when he later articulated his positions on critical issues.  He asked questions to learn about their values and told stories so that they could understand the values that were important to him.  It was here that they were able to find common ground. 

While he did work hard to build and establish trust with Seward and Stanton, he also had the confidence and conviction to hold a firm line with them when they attempted to circumvent him in order to promote their own agenda or when they tried to usurp his authority.  While he involved them in his decision making process and encouraged their feedback, he also made it clear that the final decision was his, and once the course was set, everyone was expected to comply. 

Eventually, his efforts to earn their trust and forge bonds with Seward and Stanton would result in both men becoming friend and ally.  Over the next couple of years, they became loyal supporters of Lincoln and openly admired him for his integrity and honesty.  In fact, Stanton is reported to have been so distraught over Lincoln’s death that he uttered, “Now he belongs to the ages.” 

Lincoln took the time to get to know his subordinates and seemed to have an innate ability to understand human nature.  He easily forgave missteps and understood that sometimes people make mistakes in judgment when driven by passion.  He used this knowledge to build alliances, forgive oversights and to encourage cooperation.  He understood that his power came from his ability to bring people together for a common goal, and that competing agendas weaken a team’s effectiveness.  This is made clear in his remarks to the Republican State Convention in Springfield, Illinois on June 16, 1858 when he accepted the nomination for the US Senate.  He said;

“A house divided against itself cannot stand…Our cause must be intrusted to, and conducted by its own undoubted friends – whose hands are free, whose hearts are in the work – who do care for the result.”

Here is a quick recap of the lessons we can learn from Lincoln’s amazing ability to build trust and forge alliances with his skeptics:

• Spend time getting to know your subordinates on a personal level.  Find out what their interests and priorities are outside of work. 
• Select the right people for the job and be cautious of allowing personal feelings to negatively impact your decisions.
• Find values that you and your subordinate share and use that to build common ground in the relationship which will help when on opposing sides of an issue.
• Never allow your desire to be liked to sway you from doing what you know to be right.  Your integrity is not for sale.
• Have fun with your people.  Take time to do things outside of work that are enjoyable and help to build camaraderie.   
• Encourage feedback and opposing viewpoints, but insist on support once the decision is made.
• Don’t be afraid to forgive and move on.  It is not a sign of weakness in a leader; it is a sign of strength.

I hope you use the skills and qualities Lincoln possessed to become a more impactful leader yourself.  As always, I welcome any comments or thoughts regarding this post.

Have you ever met someone who seems to work so hard to hide their true self from the world?  They try to say and do all the “right” things to cultivate your perception of them as a good leader, a faithful spouse, a loving parent, or a perfect employee.  Every action, every statement is carefully chosen to paint a picture of a confident and successful person.  Their efforts to present this carefully crafted “image” to others are based on a simple, but flawed premise: no one will ever see through the charade.  No one will ever look to see the “man behind the curtain.” 

But we do, don’t we?  Fear and insecurity creates cracks in their façade that we can see right through and while we may feel compassion for them at first, eventually we become hesitant to trust them.  There is such truth in Maya Angelou’s philosophy, “When others show you who they are, believe them.”  No matter what words you choose to say, your actions are the window into your authentic self.

I know it can be hard to drop the façade.  Sometimes we’ve been telling ourselves a story for so long, we begin to believe our own hype.  But isn’t it true that most of our imperfections are never quite as bad as our efforts to hide or cover them up?  Own your mistakes and take responsibility for your actions.  Shifting blame will only lose you respect. 

When your words and your actions are not in sync you will not be perceived as authentic or genuine, and you certainly can’t be an authentic leader if you don’t have integrity as a person.  It will never work.

There is so much power in your actions, in what you choose to do, that it will always override whatever you say.  If you say you value your friends, but continue to keep them waiting by showing up late for every gathering, your actions speak louder than your words and it may eventually impact your relationships.  If you make promises to your team that you do not follow through on, they will learn from your actions not to trust or rely on you. 

This week, think carefully about the kind of leader or person you want to be; not that image you have in your head, but reflect honestly on what your behavior (or inaction) says about you.  

If you say you’re trustworthy, are you behaving in a way that builds trust? 

If you say you’re supportive, are you behaving in a way that supports others?

If you say you love, are you demonstrating to others that they are loved?

And if you say you value someone; are you treating them with respect?

If you don’t like what you see, change your behavior immediately.  The truth is if you really want to be a different person, all you have to do is begin the process of changing right now.

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and please share this post if you found it helpful to you.

Kathy, Jennifer and Ron Spielman, and Jim Getty as President Lincoln

Last week I attended a program in Gettysburg, PA offered by Roads Scholar.  They offer “educational adventures” combining tourist type activities with educational sessions so that you really learn a lot about the area you are visiting.  This program was a tour of Gettysburg and Antietam Battlefields and Harpers Ferry. 

Having attended Dickinson College in Carlisle PA just up the road and being a History major, Gettysburg has always held a special place in my heart.  I joined my Aunt and Uncle who drove from Wisconsin to attend the program.  On our first night we had a visit from Abe Lincoln (Jim Getty) and he even had time to pose for a photo op with my family and me. 

Each day we had an educational session with a local expert, and then visited the location to bring the information to life.  Our Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide was absolutely wonderful.  His name was Ted Gajewski, and he is a 30 year retired steel mill worker from Pittsburgh PA.  Not what I would have imagined when it comes to a Civil War expert but his depth of knowledge was truly impressive.  His stories and presentations really brought history alive for us.

When Ted was 10 years old, his parents took him to visit Gettysburg National Military Park and he decided then and there that he was going to be a battlefield guide one day.  He never gave up on his dream, over the years while working in the steel mill he read everything he could get his hands on about the battle and the Civil War.  When he retired he moved his family to Gettysburg to pursue his dream of being a guide.  He had to wait for awhile until the National Park Service needed more guides and offered the test, but his opportunity finally came and he was ready.

Ted’s passion for the subject was contagious and his love for what he was doing incredibly powerful.  I found myself thinking that he was lucky to be living his dream, but as I reflected on my time with Ted, I realized that luck really had nothing to do with it.

Ted is a wonderful example of creating your own luck.  He could have waited until he retired and moved to Gettysburg to start acquiring his tremendous knowledge base, but he would not have been ready when the Park Service decided to test for new guides.  Maybe over the last 30 years people who met Ted thought he was silly for spending his time and money building his library of over 2500 books about the Civil War and the battle at Gettysburg, but ten minutes with Ted on the battlefield would silence any critics.  He is in his element there and he loves what he does.  As he says, even though he leads tours 4-5 days a week, he hasn’t worked a day since he retired.

We should all be as “lucky” as Ted.

PS:  This year marks the 150^th anniversary of the start of the Civil War.  If you are planning a trip to Gettysburg, I would be happy share Ted’s contact information with you.  He will really help to create a one of a kind experience for you.

I hope you had a chance to watch Sunday night’s episode of Dateline, “My Kids Would Never Bully”.  Teenagers were secretly filmed reacting to a number of “staged” bullying situations while their parents watched on hidden cameras. In almost all the staged situations except one, the teens eventually spoke up in defense of the kid being bullied.  The situation where the bullying went totally unchecked and in fact even escalated, was when an adult was in the room to witness the bullying and ignored it. 

I admit it was difficult to watch the adult stand by in silence as the actors ganged up on one kid in the group, even knowing it wasn’t real. You could really feel the pain and humiliation of the kid being bullied and the discomfort of the teens who were watching.  Since seeing the program, my mind has continued to drift back to that show and the insights it offered about peer pressure, teen insecurity and how much courage it took for the teens to speak up against the bullies.

And it made me wonder….do teen bullies from the schoolyard grow up to be adult bullies in the workplace?

I think like the teens on hidden camera, we all know the right thing to do when someone is being bullied, but we are sometimes hesitant to get involved.  Maybe we are afraid of making the bully mad or being dragged into a situation that doesn’t really involve us.  But the truth is, even if we are not the focus of the bully’s attention, if we know it is going on, we are already involved.

We as adults may have the same lessons to learn as the teens on the Dateline episode.  Our work does not lie in educating people that bullying is wrong.  Bullying is never acceptable and whether it happens in the halls between classes or the conference room during a team meeting, we all know it is wrong when we see it.  The challenge is to help people find the courage to stand up for someone else, to be the first one to voice what we all are feeling and what we all know to be true: that the harassment is wrong and it needs to stop!  As the teens in the program showed us, once one person speaks up in defense, others find their voice and join in. 

I’ve seen bullying in the workplace take the form of name calling and slurs, practical jokes that are cruel, rude and disrespectful interactions and aggressive behavior.  While harassment is difficult to deal with when it is a co-worker, it is absolutely overwhelming and disempowering when it is your boss doing the bullying.  The threat of retaliation or job loss can be very real. 

But here’s what I believe.  While the issues and dynamics seem more complex in the workplace, underneath it all there really isn’t that much difference between the playground and the boardroom.  Bullies are most effective when they have an audience and the tacit approval of those who look on, even if that approval is in the form of silence, and it fuels their aggressive and demeaning behavior.  Remove the approval and you remove much of their power.

I felt compassion and a deep sense of disappointment for the kids who made the choice during the program to condone and participate in the bullying.  I think they knew it was wrong in their heart, but peer pressure and other factors colored their decision making.  Once the staged situation was revealed, they clearly felt humiliated and embarrassed in front of their parents.  We can only hope that they’ve learned an important life lesson from this experience and can use that knowledge to make better choices going forward.     

As for us, every day we face the same kinds of decisions the teens did in the program; the choice to act in support of what we know to be right or to remain silent and avoid getting involved in the conflict.  Like the teens, if we all knew someone was watching on a hidden camera I bet we’d all make the right choice, if only to avoid public humiliation. 

So my question to you today is…why not act like someone is always watching?  Live as if everything you do will eventually be known and you will have few regrets.  That is the true test of your character.

With that being said…is there a situation right now that you could help by speaking up?  In my experience it really isn’t a question of whether you should speak up but how you should do it.  Let me know if I can support you as you take action. 

As always, your comments are greatly appreciated and please share this post if you found it helpful to you.