Early in my career, I sat in a meeting room full of senior stakeholders.
The team was stuck debating how to create a system workflow to capture information.
Within moments of listening to the problem, a simple solution formed in my mind. It felt completely obvious.
Yet, I stayed quiet.
I told myself, "I'm a junior here. They've discussed this already and must have discarded the idea".
So, I sat back and watched the clock tick past the ten-minute mark.
The debate dragged on, tension rose, and the team kept proposing and rejecting the same thoughts.
Fifteen minutes in, we still were not getting anywhere. So, I braved the room and voiced my 'obvious' suggestion.
The room went quiet.
The senior managers looked at each other, processed the logic, and nodded. Someone said, "That would work. Let's do that".
That single moment taught me a critical lesson about workplace perspective.
We tend to walk around assuming that if a thought is clear to us, it must be clear to everyone else.
We forget that our perspective is the sum of our specific experiences, failures, and background. Our tacit knowledge feels obvious to us, but it isn't always to everyone else.
When we hold back what is in our heads, we risk keeping the team stuck in place.
The next time you catch yourself thinking, "Everyone already knows this," speak up anyway.
Your 'obvious' insight might be the exact breakthrough that saves everyone time.
This lesson helped my to bring my book into the world. It all seems obvious to me but I am hoping it contains some insights for others!
The Free Changing with Confidence Mini Course wouldn't exist if I hadn't learned this lesson. Take a look and hopefully you will find some insights.
My book Changing with Confidence also wouldn't exist if I hadn't learned this lesson, get it now or book a free call with Adrian.
