One of the most common challenges my executive clients share is how to speak when you aren’t 100% certain.
This self-imposed need for perfection often holds us back from speaking, when others need to hear our voice. If we wait for perfection—or for complete information—we’ll never speak up.
I’ll never forget a conversation many years ago with my colleague and leadership professor Ron Heifetz at the Harvard Kennedy School. We discussed the importance of a leader’s voice.
Ron frequently refers to leadership as an activity as opposed to a role: anyone can exercise leadership even if they don’t have a leadership title. I believe that anyone can exercise leadership with their voice by speaking up. That conversation sparked the title of my keynote, Lead With Your Voice, and helped me clarify what it means to speak with confidence.
In the face of incomplete information, there are at least three ways you can speak with confidence—even if you don’t have certainty:
1—Confidently express uncertainty
You can confidently express uncertainty about a situation. For example, in describing the role AI will take in the future of work, you can confidently say, “It’s clear that no one knows what the future workforce will look like. And the reason is: there are too many factors to consider. For instance, we have to consider behavior change, technology adoption, and regulatory issues. That’s why no one knows exactly what the future holds.” This phrasing helps you confidently lean into the uncertainty. Click here to watch an example.
2—Confidently suggest a process
You can confidently and objectively describe a process. When you are asked to provide an update on a project or provide an overview of a situation, you can state, “In my experience, we need to take the following steps in order to answer this question. And the reason is, right now we are all following different processes. For instance, one department is doing it this way, while another department is doing it another way. And that is why we need to take the following steps to answer this question.” Your confidence comes from the process, not the answer.
3—Confidently describe a situation
Instead of taking a stand, you can step back and comment on what you’re seeing and hearing in the room. You can summarize the different viewpoints voiced by others and comment on the underlying theme. You could say, “Let’s step back and look strategically and what we’re talking about. Steve is suggesting one course of action, while Stacey is suggesting another. What can we learn from both perspectives?” Your confident voice becomes a strategic commentary as opposed to another recommendation.
Bonus—You can still take a stand.
When we think about speaking up, this is the most common option we consider: making a recommendation or taking a stand. It also holds us back the most.
How do you take a stand on a policy issue or business strategy? You can confidently recommend a course of action, not because you are 100% certain in its accuracy, but because you are 100% certain that to wait any longer will cause irreparable damage. Paraphrasing former US President Theodore Roosevelt, the wrong decision is better than no decision at all.
As you prepare for a high-stakes meeting or presentation, consider these various ways to speak with confidence.
In doing so, you’ll set a powerful leadership example for others, demonstrate transparency, and build trust amidst uncertainty.