Career Coach: It's time to speak up - now or never

The craziness of U.S. politics today has many wondering when some folks will finally speak up. Plenty of news stories have come out about how some leaders of the Republican Party had wished they had spoken up sooner and now they fear it may be too late.

This phenomenon of not speaking up is not just prevalent in politics, but it seems to also be ubiquitous at work as well. All too often, people say nothing when there are unethical issues or other problems and then finally speak up after the damage is done. Or they just don't bother to offer their views or input almost as if they are apathetic to what happens.

There are a variety of explanations for this. Sometimes it is because of power differentials - they may be worried they will look silly or stupid, or be chastised for speaking up. Often at work we stay silent because we want to avoid conflict, and yet by not speaking we may be creating more intense problems later. For example, we observe a culture of incivility or harassment; yet say nothing so we won't "upset" anyone. Of course, we then may be faced with more severe cases of harassment since we seemed to have condoned the earlier behaviors.

Employees may not speak up if they fear retribution or worry about losing their jobs. Or maybe they think it is futile. That is, they believe that management doesn't care and no one will listen to them. How many times have we all heard the phrase, "I'm not saying anything because nothing will ever change?"

Such sentiment can be corrosive. A lack of dialogue can lead talented employees to psychologically withdraw from the firm, their engagement can suffer, and their relationships with their managers and colleagues can decline. Some will simply chose to leave. And that might not be the biggest problem. Without their voices being heard, the firm may not discover critical problems. It might think everything is fine when in fact it is not.

If leaders want to avoid that trap, here's some ideas for fostering a more open climate:

• When attending a meeting, don't be the first to offer your views. Actively listen to others, and thank them.

• When listening to others, be fully present. Use effective eye contact, head nodding, and do not interrupt them.

• Watch your tone when responding to employees. Asking for clarification "can you explain that a little more" will sound very different if you scream it versus if you ask it as if you are really trying to understand.

• Use facilitators when you are trying to get input from employees, especially if you know you will get some strong negative voices that will discourage the vast majority to speak up.

• Act on the feedback you get from employees, even if it is something small. Explain why you are not able to act on other feedback. This shows responsiveness to employees' comments.

• Provide training to all employees so they know how to speak up in an appropriate manner. Employees just do not get enough training on how to provide feedback in a constructive fashion.

It is the responsibility of leaders to create a culture of openness so employees feel comfortable speaking up. But then employees need to share their views. Employees shouldn't complain about things and then never take the time to attend a meeting or share their opinions. If you don't say something, you are essentially saying you agree or condone what is currently happening.

We can all learn a valuable lesson from today's political race. Every day we have a choice at work or other parts of life to stay silent or to speak up. Don't wait for someone else to do it for you. Otherwise, it just may be too late, and then you'll have no one to blame but yourself.

• Joyce E.A. Russell is the senior associate dean at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. She is a licensed industrial and organizational psychologist and has more than 25 years of experience coaching executives and consulting on leadership, career management, and negotiations. She can be reached at jrussell@rhsmith.umd.edu.