Regardless of what you think about the results of the election, and our new president, we have to welcome the fact that voice is incredibly important. The supporters of our president have their voice, and so do the detractors.
The benefit of a society that welcomes voice is that all can say what they feel they need to, without any fear of repercussions, and/or being silenced.
Of course, I would be naïve to say that America is anywhere near this currently. Our country does not provide all of its citizens with voice, nor does it give all of its visitors the chance to share their concerns.
We truly have a long way to go in this regard.
But, that doesn’t mean we can’t work towards equal voice in our own lives, both professionally and personally. In our places of work, we can make sure that everyone has a chance to share feedback, and that all feedback is respected and utilized to make learning and leading better for everyone. We can do this through regular check-ins, surveys, and then, of course, follow-up actions that show that voice is valued.
In our personal lives, we must make sure that we give friends and family the chance to voice their concerns and ideas, and that we refrain from feeling like we always need to add our thinking.
One of my biggest struggles is resisting the urge to add a thought to a conversation when I don’t need to. I have to learn to become better at giving others the opportunity to finish their thoughts, and refrain from attempting to finish their thoughts for them. This is a work in progress for me because I love ideas and discussing them. That said, I must make sure that I don’t let my love of ideas trump my love of working with others. I clearly have a lot of work to do!