802 - Do you speak up when necessary?

Organizations want to grow.

They want their customers to be happy and employees to be productive.

Getting feedback from customers and employees is an important part of assessing where an organization is on many levels.

@Scott Newton wrote an interesting and insightful post regarding open-door policies.

Here is a link to his post -https://www.linkedin.com/posts/scottbnewton_strategy-future-leadership-activity-7092006048802201600-TvjK?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Several things can happen when you speak out to upper management.

• Your ideas may be applauded and implemented

• Your comments could be held against you and your co-workers.

• Your colleagues will consider you a goody-two-shoes for speaking up even when it is meant to benefit them.

• Your colleagues may abandon you even though they were of the same mindset.

I've experienced the situation of being abandoned by fellow co-workers who were just as fed up as I was.

Years ago, my colleagues completely abandoned me after I confronted the conductor of the orchestra for his abysmal treatment of a fellow colleague.

Everyone was sick of his dictatorial behavior and one day, that protective side of me could no longer sit by silently as he verbally abused a younger colleague.

I shot out of my seat and yelled, STOP IT!

Everyone froze. The conductor told me to sit down and I refused. I continued to tell him to leave the poor violinist alone and that he wasn't helping the situation at all.

As he stormed out of the concert hall, my colleagues passed by me, one by one, either ignoring me completely or making sarcastic comments.

My own roommate said, Nice knowing you!! She was one of the most vehement critics of the conductor.

The result was not what they expected.

The conductor changed his behavior. I didn't get fired. But I learned that day how people really are.

You've got to be discerning when you speak out to authority.

That wasn't the last time I spoke out for other people.

I am determined not to hold back when ethical boundaries have been crossed. If

I lose friends over it, they weren't very good friends anyway.

Do you speak up when necessary?