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Today’s Newsletter (5 min read):

• Clear-Eyed Perspective: How to Consistently Contribute to Meetings

• Clear-Eyed Journey: Alaina’s Journey

Clear-Eyed Perspective

How to Consistently Contribute to Meetings

A small rule that will make a huge difference in your career: always contribute value to a meeting.

Does it really matter?

I once had someone on my team who was extremely talented and capable. Unfortunately, decision-makers did not think highly of them. They had one simple flaw: they were consistently silent in meetings.

As much as organizations try to encourage inclusive communication, the people contributing more will be seen as higher performing. The loudest doesn’t win, but the most consistently valuable does.

If you don’t contribute value, eventually, you’ll stop getting the invite.

No need to fear! It’s solvable. Let’s dig into it…

Three simple ways to contribute value in meetings.

(P.S. If you don’t struggle with contributing, at least read #3 so you can help others)

1. Ask More Than Tell❓

In a meeting today, pay attention to who speaks up and what they say. The majority of the comments are people either building on what someone already said or asking a clarifying question.

(Note: Please don’t be the person - typically a guy - who repeats everything someone already said using different words. And if you are that person, please stop it!)

Well-structured questions can be more powerful than facts or statements. Unless the answer was already shared, no question is a dumb one. In fact, people who ask more questions have proven to be better liked by others.

Need some help figuring out what types of questions to ask? Here are a few suggestions:

• Why did we decide {XYZ} is the best course of action? If we don’t do it, what do we risk?

• You mentioned [XYZ}, and I’m not sure I fully understand. Can you explain that in more detail?

• How will we know if/when we’re successful?

• How does [XYZ] relate to [Another similar topic].

• What other options have we considered?

Want more? See this great article for a list of 100 questions you can ask during a meeting.

2. Contribute your unique perspective 🙋🏾‍♂️

If you think you don’t have a unique perspective, you’re wrong. Everyone does. Think about the experiences that have shaped your perspective:

• Previous companies/roles

• Degrees

• Places you’ve lived

• Your identity

When you put it all together, you are the only person who has lived your life.

If you attend an important meeting, review the agenda and jot down your unique point of view. Taking the time to prepare will help you develop the confidence to contribute.

Here are some ways to insert your unique perspective:

• Based on my experience with….

• What I see from my position is…

• I have a different point of view because….

Have a meeting today? (If you don’t, you lucky SOB). Jot down a few notes heading in and use these phrases to insert your unique perspective. Over time you’ll develop the confidence to contribute your perspective in bigger, more important meetings.

3. Find an advocate to help open the door 🗣️

“Winston, this sounds great, but I’m a quiet introvert. I can’t and don’t want to push my way into a conversation.”

Great news! You don’t have to do it alone. Find an advocate.

If there is someone you trust who is more comfortable speaking up in meetings, be vulnerable and let them know you are working on speaking up. Ask for their help.

For example, they can say something like:

“[Name] and I discussed a different way to solve this problem earlier this week. [Name}, can you share more?”

Or

“[Name], I know you’ve experienced similar challenges at your previous company. What advice do you have for us?”

You no longer have to knock on the door to get your voice heard. Thanks to your advocate, the door is wide open, waiting for you to walk through.

If you’re already good at speaking up in meetings, this is your one takeaway: find someone who doesn’t consistently contribute and help open doors for them.

Final Takeaway

Have you ever hosted a dinner party? Although you didn’t explicitly say something, there is an unwritten rule that your guests will show up with a dessert, bottle of wine, or small gift. If they consistently don’t, you may start thinking they are what I call a “busboy/girl”: taking value away and never contributing?

Don’t be seen as the “busboy/girl” of meetings. You now have the ingredients to bring a valuable side dish to each meeting. Do it consistently, and you’ll slowly be known as a valued contributor, which can lead to additional opportunities and the career growth you crave.

Clear-Eyed Journey

Alaina Peterson (L&D Program Manager, Ellevation Education)

I’m grateful Alaina took the time to share her journey. What key lessons can we learn from her experiences?

• Proactively maintaining relationships with people you admire can help you establish a strong group of career advisors.

• You should build your career around things that motivate you AND play into your strengths. (I particularly love this point - I may write about it in a few weeks)

• Don’t understimate the power of a LinkedIn message. If you can craft a short, compelling, targeted note, it could help you stand out amongst the noise.

Alaina began her career in education. She was inspired to enter education through an internship at a dual-language preschool with a phenomenal leader who continues to inspire her today.

A common theme throughout Alaina’s journey is intentionally keeping in touch with people she admires, including the preschool founder. She sets recurring meetings with former colleagues and builds the outreach into her routine to maintain relationships.

Although Alaina loved working with students, the school's dynamics challenged her sense of self.

Alaina started taking on side projects, leading a committee, and training teachers on new curriculum. Through exploration, she realized how much she loved training and adult learning. She decided to study instructional design and UX design, which gave her the skills to transition to an instructional design role in Tech.

The transition to tech was challenging but was made easier by the time and space she had to try different things and make mistakes. Her manager empowered her and helped to instill confidence. This confidence eventually led her to message me on LinkedIn while looking for her next role.

In a sea of applicants, Alaina was initially rejected. However, after I posted about the role on LinkedIn, Alaina sent a simple but compelling LinkedIn message. It was human, aligned directly with our needs, and made me want to speak with her immediately.

I’m grateful Alaina sent this note. She’s been an amazing addition to my team and has made a massive impact at Ellevation.

Alaina’s journey is a great reminder of the power of taking risks to pursue what we want, including relationships and self-awareness. If you want, say hi to Alaina on LinkedIn!

Next week, in a special Thanksgiving newsletter, we’ll hear from my sister-in-law, Erica Tuggle. Erica will share more about how she transitioned from Corporate America to entrepreneurship and how she thinks about the value of an MBA.