Pssst leaders... your quiet employees might have the best ideas
3 myths about quiet employees plus tips on speaking up at work
Would you consider yourself to be someone who openly shares your ideas and opinions at work? How about if someone - like a boss or colleague - asked you directly if you had an idea for something specific; would you share it then?
Okay, now let’s say you’re in a room full of people - let’s call this a brainstorming session. There are lots of ideas and opinions flying around. Some people are very open, perhaps maybe even intrusive with their ideas. They share proudly and loudly, seemingly liking their position as the most vocal in the room.
If you’re in this room and you had a unique thought to share, would you keep silent? Would you have it out with the loudest voices? Or would you wait until someone saw you thinking, just hoping for an invitation to share so you could vocalize what’s going on internally?
I’ve been in these rooms lots of times.
Naturally, I’m an internal processor, having to think through my ideas and make sure I have all the necessary pieces to formulate the most educated response. I like to play things safe in these scenarios - I read the room quietly, assess the various personalities, and plan out the best timing for when/how to share, even if the right time wasn’t in that room.
Early on in my career, the loud people frustrated me. To me, they were engaging in a game I was unwilling play. But I learned quickly to not allow loud voices to keep me silent just because they were loud. In fact, some of them had good ideas, but so did I, and isn’t the point of collaboration bringing different ideas and perspectives to the table to hear each other out? I learned that I needed to get my voice in the conversation instead of bowing out. But I also learned that staying quiet isn’t always a bad thing, and often speaks volumes about the individual.
The quiet people might be on to something
Check out this quick video for my hot take on the quiet people in the room:
In this segment of the Future of Work, I want to focus on the value of the quiet people in the room. Why? because I think the quiet people get a bad rep. Leaders do themselves and their teams a disservice by writing quiet employees off early on simply because they misunderstand them, they don’t know how to develop them, or both.
And for those of you who feel unseen or unheard, I want to equip you with tools that empower you to add your voice to the conversation in a way that honors your process while also advocating for yourself.
Let’s take a look at 3 myths about the quiet people in the room. Make sure to stick around to the end for some helpful strategies on how to be more vocal and how leaders can do a better job empowering employees who are more reserved.
3 myths about quiet people at work
Myth 1: Quiet people are poor communicators
Choosing to refrain from sharing an opinion does not make someone a poor communicator. In fact, it’s more likely that these individuals are more thoughtful and strategic with their responses, needing to process all the various angles and opinions being shared. They may even prefer to do a little research and come back to the discussion either privately with a decision-maker or in a follow up meeting or email.
I’d argue that refraining to share is actually a sign of a strong, more refined communicator. People who know how to hold back - especially if they have a strong opinion - show a great deal patience, while understand the value of timing and thoughtfulness.
Don’t write off an employee who isn’t the first to speak. It may be they need more time, data, or insight before adding to the conversation.
Myth 2: Quiet people are timid and lack confidence
There are many reasons as to why people remain quiet in workplace collaboration. Often, this could be rooted in their personality style and their need to internally process before sharing openly. But even internal processors can be strong, vocal contributors, so it’s important to consider other reasons why someone may be quieter vs. more vocal.
If they are new to the team, they will often take more time to get to know their peers and leaders before feeling comfortable sharing openly. They likely realize that there is historical context that they don’t have and may want to take some time getting up-to-speed before they start driving innovation. This is a smart approach.
If they have experienced toxic work cultures in the past, they could be holding back to avoid reprimand or worse. Even if your culture is open and collaborative, inviting employees to be transparent, it takes a while to recover from closed-minded leadership and toxic work environments. Give it time, as they will likely open up as they feel freer to do so.
If they appear timid, it could simply be a lack of career experience. Younger employees are navigating their careers for the first time. They may be coming from structured educational settings or haven’t had a great example of leadership to guide them. This is a great opportunity to mold and shape an eager employee into a healthy collaborator by inviting them to share their opinions and finding ways to implement their ideas.
Myth 3: Quiet people don’t have anything to add to the conversation
This is simply not true. As I mentioned in the video above, quiet people are usually more thoughtful about their responses, which means they’ve done the hard work of testing their idea by internally attacking it from every angle they can think of.
Why?
It’s really important to them that they share good ideas - ones that have the strong possibility of being implemented. They don’t share for the sake of being heard. They likely have strong opinions that are based in their own personal experience and therefor, have a lot of value to add to the conversation.
Key Strategies if you happen to be one of the quiet people:
Internal evaluation is key to your process, but remember in typical settings where open ideas are shared, it’s okay to think out loud and communicate thoughts that may not be fully fleshed out.
Whatever you do, don’t apologize for your ideas or preface them by saying things like, “this might be a silly idea…” or “Maybe this is stupid, but…” Instead, bring your ideas with confidence, and don’t be afraid to ask qualifying questions to hone your idea further.
If you’re going into a setting that’s collaborative in nature and want to be intentional about contributing to the discussion vocally, you may consider reaching out to the meeting facilitator to get more context into the discussion so you can prepare some thoughts in advance.
Don’t be afraid to ask lots of why questions. These often address areas people may not have considered and can help bring a lot of clarity to the overarching vision of whatever topic is at hand.
Remember that your voice is a value to the conversation. Your viewpoint and perspective are unique, and you may have considered aspects that no one else has.
In collaborative settings, don’t simply wait for an invitation to share. These open-forum discussions are a chance for people to think out loud and problem solve in real-time, so it’s important to be an active contributor and extend yourself beyond your comfort zone.
Key strategies if you’re a leader of quiet people:
Consider engaging directly with those who aren’t the first to share their opinions. It may be that they have some really thoughtful insights, which are based in research and a whole lot of thought.
Never negate, make fun of, or cut off a new idea shared in a collaborative setting (or any setting for that matter). Even if you think it’s terrible, it may be worth exploring what’s behind it, which can shed light on a lot about the individual who voiced it.
Ask new people to share ideas. If you’re concerned about blindsiding them or making them uncomfortable, give them a heads up in advance. You may say something like “I’d like to hear from these 3 people first in our next meeting.” Or send an email stating you’d like each person to contribute a thought to the conversation and then invite specific individuals to go first.
Foster a culture where collaboration is celebrated and new ideas are implemented. At the end of the day, this type of environment must start at the top and be modeled by senior leadership.
Implement new ideas that originate from employee contribution. Employees not only want to have the freedom to share openly, but they also want to see that their opinions hold weight. Invite innovation in this way by allowing employees/teams to test out their thinking in various ways, create new systems, develop new processes, etc.
Question to consider:
If I’m honest, does my team feel open to share their ideas and opinions freely with me?
How or when have I implemented feedback received by colleagues or employees on my team?
In what ways can I better encourage the quieter employees who may be holding back?
Have I been holding onto ideas or opinions that I should share with someone of influence? What’s standing in my way?
Regardless of where you sit at work, your voice is a value-add, so keep sharing.
Collaborative environments foster creative thinking and typically have higher scalability because of the nature of diverse ideas coming together. Healthy leaders should be modeling this behavior and doing the hard work of bringing more voices and ideas to the table.
If you have a story to tell or thought to share about today’s topic, I’d love to hear it. Feel free to leave a comment or simply hit reply.
Until next time, lead well my friends.