Evoke Greatness Podcast Why Speaking Up at Work Is Harder for Some Leaders, with Minda Harts (Part 1)
🎧 Episode 206: Why Speaking Up at Work Is Harder for Some Leaders, with Minda Harts Part 1
What is staying quiet at work actually costing you?
Not just the missed moment…
But the opportunity, the growth, the confidence, and the standard you’re setting for what you’re willing to tolerate.
In Part 1 of this conversation, I sit down with Minda Harts, Author of Talk to Me Nice: The Seven Trust Languages for a Better Workplace, to unpack the hidden cost of silence, and why so many high-performing leaders find themselves navigating environments where speaking up feels risky.
From early career experiences of inequity and internal conflict, to the realization that silence carries a cost just as real as speaking up, this conversation will challenge how you think about your voice, your agency, and your responsibility in the rooms you’re in.
Because staying quiet doesn’t keep things neutral… it shapes everything.
We explore:
- The real cost of staying silent at work and how it impacts your career growth, confidence, and leadership presence
- How to speak up with confidence in high-stakes workplace conversations without damaging relationships or credibility
- Why trust issues at work are often communication breakdowns and how unmet expectations quietly erode performance and culture
- The power of self-advocacy and personal agency in leadership, especially for women navigating visibility, influence, and growth
- How using your voice creates permission for others, shaping team culture, trust, and psychological safety
🔑 Key takeaways:
- Staying quiet doesn’t protect you… it positions you exactly where you are
- The conversations you avoid are often the ones that unlock your next level
- Trust is built or broken in the smallest moments… not the biggest ones
- You don’t need permission to advocate for yourself… but you do need courage
- Every time you stay silent, you reinforce the standard you’re willing to accept
Quotes to remember:
- “If I don’t say anything, that’s a cost. If I do say something, that’s a cost too.”
- “My voice is tied to someone else’s freedom.”
- “We have more power than we think we do.”
- “Silence doesn’t keep things neutral… it shapes everything.”
- “The standard you accept becomes the culture you experience.”
đź”— Connect with Minda:
- Website: www.mindaharts.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/mindaharts
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mindaharts/
A rising tide raises all ships, and I invite you along on this journey to Evoke Greatness!
Check out my website: www.evokegreatness.com
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