Embracing speaking up, or how to avoid being eaten by a giant rodent
I stood in front of the team of Very Serious People and intelligently said “Buhhhh” when asked a question I wasn’t prepared to answer.
Then I turned bright red, felt sweat prickle my forehead and upper lip, and continued to fail spectacularly.
It was a job interview, and I was making a presentation. After the first slide, I could tell it was not going well, and as it continued, it only got worse.
I love speaking and performing in front of others, especially a crowd. But get me in front of a small group of people I normally wouldn’t talk to, and I panic.
In this case, my lack of readiness meant I did not get what I wanted: the job.
As I look ahead to 2025, I predict that Executive Directors will have to lead much more publicly.
The media landscape is fractured, dialogue is divided and the political landscape could be likened to a scary mud pit fraught with swampy Rodents of Unusual Size.
Over the next several years, it’s going to be the loudest and bravest that will have the biggest impact.
In my experience talking to non-profits, public self-advocacy is at the bottom of most leaders’ priority lists. Finding your voice and using it can be a nerve-wracking experience.
But a saying by which I live my life: “Speak up, even if your voice shakes.”
Over the next few months, I’m going to write with a few tips about how to advocate publicly for your non-profit so that you can get what you want instead of breaking into a sweat, turning red, and then being eaten by an oversized rodent.
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