Step up to the plate and speak out

Like 85 percent of employees, you’re probably scared to bring up problems or worries at work. You’re afraid of creating conflict or being misunderstood. You prefer to keep quiet, even though it breeds apprehension and internal conflict.

But if you took the courage to speak out, you would realize that other people share your concerns and that you could work together on them as allies. Most organizations don’t know how to use conflict, so take the initiative to practice as an individual:

Go find an opponent! Upend your natural tendency to work with likeminded people and seek out your opposite in terms of personality, background and education. Yes, you should expect to feel uncomfortable and to have your patience tested, but the results will pay off.

Ask others to prove you wrong. It’s an approach that means doing some work on yourself, but you’ve everything to gain. If it fails, you can vaunt your ideas proudly. If it succeeds, you’ll save yourself from being badly exposed and you can move on to another project without any regrets.

Be prepared to change your mind. Only embark on this process if you are honestly prepared to reconsider your opinion.

Adopting these new habits takes energy and repetition, but if you do, you will come ever closer to being a true leader.

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