I help leaders reclaim their power by unlearning silence. I’m the author of the USA Today Bestselling book on Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully (Penguin 2024). My vision is a future in which each individual knows, uses, and chooses where they lend their voice.
A Hidden Reason Your (or Your Team's) Expertise Isn't Getting Heard
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Hi Reader, Why don’t smart, capable people speak up? One unexpected reason is what psychologists call expert blindness. When you’re really good at something, you can forget – or be blind to – the fact that others can’t always see what you see or do what you do. Research often focuses on how expert blindness makes it difficult for experts to teach their expertise to others. But I want to focus on another gnarly side effect of being an expert – you can easily underestimate the power of your expertise. After all, if it’s obvious to you, isn’t it obvious to everyone? If it’s easy for you, it’s it easy for everyone? That assumption is a surefire way to undercut yourself professionally. I fell into this trap in a recent conversation. I literally heard the words “I assume everyone can do what I do…” come out of my mouth. When I stop and think about it, I know that’s not true. Not everyone can do what I do. I have a finely honed skillset (dare I call it a craft?) from having worked on 6 continents, studied and been faculty at Harvard Law School, facilitated leadership development experiences across industries, spoken on stages before more than 500k leaders over the span of 15+ years, and appeared on 2 Grammy award winning recordings. I’m also a mom, caregiver, and immigrant. I’ve been both low and high up on org charts, winning over the skepticism of those who think I'm too unassuming to have real impact. I've been recognized as a global management thinker to watch by Thinkers50 and my work on many "best of" lists. The number of people who have the same skillset and been battle-tested in the same way is pretty small. Possibly a sample size of exactly, well, just me. When we assume everyone else can do what we do, we
How can you own your expertise? Making that list will remind you of the reality that literally no one in the world has the same perspective, life experiences, cognitive emotional processing ability (to be technical about it), insights, and vantage point as you do. And if this isn’t something you struggle with, what about the people on your team? How often do they stay silent because they are thinking:
How can you unleash the talent on your team? Not being sure whether your perspective is welcome or valued makes people hesitant to share. As a leader, you have the power to draw out their perspective so organization can benefit from their expertise. One powerful way to do this is to explicitly name the lens from which you want to hear from them. For example:
We are each experts in different things and in different ways. My expertise doesn’t diminish yours, nor does your expertise diminish mine. Will you share your perspective? And can we, as leaders, make it easier for people to share theirs? Because when we do, we get a clearer picture of reality and operate in a reality where the sum is greater than its parts. With hope, Elaine When you’re ready, here are three ways I can help…
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How to Use Your Voice
I help leaders reclaim their power by unlearning silence. I’m the author of the USA Today Bestselling book on Unlearning Silence: How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully (Penguin 2024). My vision is a future in which each individual knows, uses, and chooses where they lend their voice.
Hi Reader, Most of us were asked this question as kids: what do you want to be when you grow up? The question carries a kind of wonder. An acknowledgement that you’re not finished and are still becoming. But how we answer it matters. In classrooms, it often nudges kids to pick a profession before they know what a profession is. Then we’re surprised when, decades later, our jobs feel like our identities. At work, there’s a subtle but no less powerful version of this question at play. It sounds...
Hi Reader, If I've always been agreeable, won't it be weird if I start disagreeing? It will be weird. But not as weird as you think. Why? People aren't thinking as much about you as you are about yourself. The spotlight effect means we pay far more attention to ourselves than others pay to us. That makes sense. After all, we're the ones who live with the consequences of our choices. So will it feel weird to disagree with your manager or spouse when in the past you haven't? Maybe. It will feel...
Hi Reader, It's back-to-school season for many. It's a time of transition. When I asked how people are managing their schedules to deal with the inevitable load of kids experiencing restraint collapse, testing out new rhythms, and pre-frontal cortexes still growing, someone replied: just say no! It's great advice. And it can be hard for many of us. Why is it hard to say no? Because we genuinely want to be helpful. We want to be liked. We've been taught to serve. We've been rewarded for...