When I was growing up the worst thing you could be called or described as was “bold.” It implied brazen, outspoken, bucking the system, and not a team player. Being bold was alien to my culture, gender role, and family messages. Fast-forward a few decades. I have taken a 180-degree turn. I now pressure myself to be bold enough to push the envelope, speak up, do the unexpected, and ask for, or give myself, what I need.
It made me realize being bold was a quality missing in many of my executive coaching clients. I began including it in coaching goals. I would ask managers, executives, and leaders, “What would happen if you were bolder?” Heard many reactions ranging from fear, to befuddlement, to “I’m game!”
Here is an example of how being bold enough worked for a smart, high-functioning person who had greater potential than he and others realized.
Chris is a mid-level finance executive who wanted and deserved an elevation in title and responsibility. He tried working harder but was becoming resentful of his boss and peers. He was mad at himself for putting up with the situation. So, he worked even harder and longer.
Talking with a random headhunter and going on some interviews was his plan to get what he wanted. It wasn’t working. As he was complaining in a coaching session, I asked him, “What if you were bolder at work?”
We tossed around some ideas and concluded the bold move had to be letting decisionmakers know what he was thinking, wanted, and why he deserved it. Something he had never done. He needed to know if they would entertain his ideas and move on it.
Chris had homework. He researched similar jobs, internally and externally, opening his options to related positions and different industries. He defined his true dollar value (considerably higher than what he was currently making). The same was true for his title. Talking to search people provided him with current data and market insight.
Next, he clarified his brand, asking himself, “What do I contribute to this company?” “How am I essential?” and “Why is my work deserving of a more senior level?”
He then checked the climate in the office. What was going on? Who had been promoted and why? What were the priority initiatives and how could he be a major contributor to them? What stressors or political issues were facing the senior leaders? How might all this impact their views of his request and affect the timing of a change? How would they react to his ask?
We role-played the bolder conversation he was to have with his boss. We set a goal — get management to share their thoughts and make them aware this needed to be addressed. No threats, no pleading, no whining, strictly a new, targeted, honest, conversation between professionals. He scheduled an appointment. His boss listened and acted.
The request went up the company ladder. People balked at first and then became receptive. Chris was asked what he thought his title should be. He was bold enough to be prepared with two possibilities. The result of his being bold was he earned the title and the compensation that went with it.
He was bold enough to do something he had never done before — asked for what he thought he had earned. His boss commented, “Why didn’t you do this sooner?” Chris thought — I wasn’t ready to be bold at work.
Being Bold Enough in the Workplace Means
Taking a calculated risk.
Courage to speak up.
Understanding the potential pushback.
Having clear ideas and goals.
Willingness to openly share your beliefs.
Giving as well as asking.
Preparing the facts.
A confident delivery.
Showing loyalty even when disagreeing.
Having a voice.
Goals that are best for all parties.
Leave a Reply