This past year I’ve had the opportunity to work with emerging leaders, managers and established leaders in various industries including commercial real estate, education, legal services, food industry, finance, accounting, security, tech and more. What’s most interesting to me is that regardless of the industry, role or title we all face many of the same issues at work and in our life. One key issue that consistently shows up is sharing our voice in a productive way regardless of your position. This is simple but not always easy to do.
We all need to find an authentic and meaningful way to share our voice whether we are introspective, thoughtful, supportive, reserved, talkative, direct, action oriented, visionary or an idea generator. How we share our voice in conversation, under pressure, when we disagree, during meetings or in difficult situations impacts how people think of us. It impacts how they trust and respect us and whether they think we add or detract value. If you add value people will want to partner with you more often and if you detract value people start to lose respect. It’s important to realize that this behavior contributes to how people view us.
Sharing our voice ties into the brand we want to build for ourself. Some people have something to say about everything while others prefer to stay quiet and think through all the possibilities before they speak – neither approach is necessarily good or bad. We all need to consider how we show up and if this aligns with the brand we want to create for ourself and the results.
Here are a few questions to consider:
1. What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?
2. What 3 words would others use to describe you?
3. What steps can you take to more effectively share your voice?
As we move into the new year, this is the perfect time to reflect on how we show up and the impact we are capable of making in the world.
About Alissa
Alissa Finerman is an Executive Coach and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, speaker and author of Living in YOUR Top 1%. She works with managers, C-suite executives and teams to leverage strengths, shift beliefs and achieve meaningful goals. Alissa has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked with Ross Stores, Petco, BNP Paribas, Neutrogena, Bristol-Myers Squibb, the Milken Institute, LA Business Journal, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and NBC Universal. To learn more about coaching with Alissa, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook
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