The power of silence on teams.

When do you know to STFU? What best practices do you use to balance contributing your thoughts/opinions without becoming the person on the team who is always talking?


I spent many years as a basketball player and coach, and my time spent on teams learned me the power of silence. You want people to listen to you? Stop talking so much... We get it, you know the answer to the question being asked in the meeting, we all do. Do you really need the glorious moment of answering? For the fifth time this meeting? Did you think for a second that maybe your teammate knew the answer and hasn't held the conch in a while? Sales VP just sent us all concise directives. Is it pertinent you send a follow-up email explaining the importance of what the VP said, even though they just damn said it?

๐Ÿ’†โ€โ™‚ Mindset
๐Ÿ˜ค Conflict Resolution
๐Ÿค  Culture
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poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
2
โ˜•๏ธ
The Yes Wo/man is the hardest boss to battle in the office. They have to be heard, what they say needs to be recognized by all, and they'll echo the words of leadership as if it is gospel. So much so that even leadership stops saying stuff around them.

My goal is to be helpful, but I do not offer my help unless it's requested/invited in the conversation. I can sit in the corner and listen to everything, but I'm not going to stick my nose where it doesn't belong. If leadership asks me to add something, I will, or if I think something crucial is being glossed over, I'll add something. However, you'll rarely see me rearing to speak at an all-hands or even on a large client call where I'm not running the show.
CuChulainn
Catalyst
2
SDR Hybrid
Have you ever confronted the Yes wo/man? I want to right now because they're young, and I think my input could help them grow. But don't want to overstep my boundaries or cause friction...
CharmingSalesGal
Politicker
0
Account Executive
I think you definitely have to be cautious in approaching. They probably do have good intentions and think they're helping rather than hurting the situation. Would love to hear if you do confront them how it goes and what you said!
poweredbycaffeine
WR Lieutenant
2
โ˜•๏ธ
If you are in a position to be a mentor, then be one. However, if you don't see them as someone who will respect your feedback, then you may be headed down a dusty path.
CuChulainn
Catalyst
2
SDR Hybrid
I like it, thanks.
CuriousFox
WR Officer
2
๐ŸฆŠ
I keep my mouth shut until I'm called upon.
CuChulainn
Catalyst
1
SDR Hybrid
Can't really go wrong with this approach...
CPfor3
Opinionated
1
Business Development Representative
It can be a tough balance at some points as employees of a larger company may want to get their voice heard to stand out to upper management. However, I do believe the power of silence can be stronger and more beneficial. Nobody likes meetings held up by blatantly obvious comments that tend to take away from the time delivering material others may need or taking the time away to answer more relevant questions.
CuChulainn
Catalyst
0
SDR Hybrid
Yeah it can be a tough balance, but one worth putting effort into. At the end of the day, our legacy is what's remembered, and the way we communicate with people/make them feel has a lot to do with legacy.
MrMotivation
Politicker
1
Sales
Listening is far more powerful than speaking, but I think it is very important to "bite the bullet" sometimes to encourage conversation on a topic. There is nothing worse than having a collective problem that someone brings up and no one wants to start a conversation on how to fix the issue. Collaboration is key
CuChulainn
Catalyst
0
SDR Hybrid
Huge point. That's where the balance comes in. Collaboration is oh-so-key, but when the same person always has the floor, that's not collaboration. Have to find the balance. I hear you loud and clear on the "bite the bullet" part - someone's got to have the courage to speak up if no one else will.
7

WFH, Teams & Belonging

Discussion
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0

Power Outage

Question
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5

๐Ÿคซit's ok... you can tell me... Why is your camera almost always OFF during Zoom calls?

Question
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ALT: Are you annoyed when your camera is ON during a 1:1 but theirs is OFF
68% Yes (comment why)
8% No (comment)
20% Depends (comment)
5% My CSM is almost always off... I'm here to see what others think about me
40 people voted