Testing One, Two, Three…

Almost every time when my husband and I go out and someone overhears us talking, they say “You’ve got a great voice!” And he does. In fact, his side gig of doing voice work professionally started many years ago when those exact words came from someone who was looking for a live show announcer. It never ceases to make me smile when he gets compliments in elevators and restaurants – he makes an impact without even knowing it (unless people tell him).

Your voice is a powerful instrument – whether it’s booming or soft-spoken, passionate or soothing, saying something people agree with or something they don’t. As a leader who wants to Expand Your Influence, your first step is to use your voice to stand up for your convictions.

As we noted in an earlier blog, that doesn’t mean taking charge or trying to convince people yours is the right way. It’s about using your voice to engage and collaborate with others; and to encourage others to do the same. Knowing when to listen and when to share are equally important.

In order to take this action with others, it’s critical that you find your voice. Many executives I’ve worked with over the years have been challenged with finding their new voices. Because, as the famous saying goes: “What got you here, won’t get you there.” For example, moving from “I” statements to “we” statements may be simple but it’s not easy for everyone. And yet, this vocal act of inclusivity has a powerful impact on the people around them.

There are so many aspects of finding your voice: What are the important messages you want to share? How – through speaking, writing, art, other? Where – at home, at work, in your community? When is the right time? With whom? And then there are the choices of word choice, tone, volume, font (bold, underline, italic) and colors. So much to consider and claim as yours.

Taking time to explore each aspect above is good practice every couple of years. You never know what you’ll discover and decide … because your voice matters and it has an impact.

This Week: Write down the description of your current voice. What do you love about it? What do you want to be different? Where do you want to grow? How do you want to share your voice with the world around you?

In Next Week’s Post: The power of alignment and collaboration.