Have you ever had one of those moments when something happens and you say “Yeah, I saw that but didn’t think it was important” or “I wondered if that was going to happen” or “I didn’t want to say anything just in case I was wrong”? Each of these statements tells us we felt that something wasn’t right, but we didn’t “trust our inner Voice” and question it. We allowed something to happen that could have been avoided if we just took a moment to double-check.
Each day we are faced with many choices – sometimes we have the time to think about them, and other times we have to make decisions quickly. In those moments it may seem clear what needs to be done, and at other times we don’t know why, but it doesn’t look, sound, or feel right. In that split second we either trust what the Voice is telling us, or we worry that we may look foolish if wrong, so we just don’t say anything.
When we “trust our inner Voice” we increase our effectiveness and reduce the number of errors and mistakes we make. In most cases, the extra few minutes we are willing to take to clarify something is far less than the amount of time and money it costs when we ignore it. When a team supports trusting the Voice in each other, they become highly effective and efficient. They make it okay to ask questions, confirm instructions, and verify details without feeling foolish. They don’t ignore the Voice because they know it may slow things down for a moment or even interrupt someone. They know their team would rather take a minute to confirm a detail than spend hours trying to correct a mistake that could have been avoided.
For instance, – we recently handled a direct mail project for a client in which they provided the mailing list. Upon receiving the list, we noticed that there was a slight discrepancy with the quantity. So our client services team member handling this project reached out to the client to verify that it was the correct list, and turns out they sent over the wrong file. Because our client services team member “trusted their inner voice” and took the time to reach out, we ended up saving our client both time and money.
So before you find yourself saying one of the statements at the beginning of this article, “Trust the Voice” inside of you that tells you when something doesn’t feel right – take the extra time to look it over. When someone on your team appears to be asking a question that seems obvious to you, thank them for taking the time to make sure it was right. We all may have our Voice to trust but sometimes their voice may be worth trusting too.
About the Author:
Tony Pires is the VP of Business Development at CFS, Inc. in Norton, MA. Tony serves as a leader in developing new business and strategic partnerships with our clients. You can contact him at [email protected] or click here to connect with him on LinkedIn.
