5 reasons you aren't heard

By Karin Hurt
Toastmaster magazine

Have you ever felt this way? You’ve got great ideas. You care deeply. And you’re frustrated. Why is no one picking up what you’re putting down?

Don’t give up.

Take a careful look at your idea in the context of your other behaviours and interactions with your team.

You’re Under-Invested

If you want your idea to gain traction, start with talking about what you’re doing to help.

• “Here’s what I’ve already done to get us started.”
• “Here are five ways I can help.”
• “Here are some additional resources I can contribute.”

You’ve got a Track Record of Great Ideas … For Everyone Else

You’re all ideas, no action.

No one wants to listen to the guy creating a lot of extra work for them to implement.

Build a strong reputation of contributing to other people’s ideas first.

You’re Apologizing for Your Idea

Sounds crazy, right? And yet it happens all the time. “This is probably a dumb idea …” “I’m sorry but …”

You’re Too Gung Ho

What? Did Karin Hurt the “gung ho” queen just say that? Why, yes I did.

Don’t shoot yourself in the foot by being overly emotional or so passionate people wonder what you put in your oatmeal that morning.

You’ve Under-Invested in Peer Relationships

Boy, did I have to learn this one the hard way. In my early career, I had a few ideas that I knew were just brilliant.

How do I know they were good? A few years later when I’d built strong, trusting relationships I tried something almost identical, and people were lining up to help.

If you want folks to come along, work hard to get along. Invest in ­prioritizing your peers and the next time you look around, there will be more people by your side ready to listen.

Of course, the side benefit is that if the whole gang’s all in, your boss will be much more eager to listen.

Your ideas matter. Positioning them takes practice, but it’s worth it.

Karin Hurt is a keynote speaker, top leadership consultant and CEO of Let’s Grow Leaders. Learn more about her at letsgrowleaders.com.
This article appeared in the December edition of Toastmaster magazine.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.