Speaking up can feel hard. Imagine that you’re sitting in a meeting, or perhaps reviewing a project plan, and something just doesn’t feel right. You have a perspective, a crucial piece of data, or a gentle challenge that needs to be heard. But the person you need to address? They have more power than you—a bigger title, a wider span of control, or simply more tenure.
That pit in your stomach? That’s the fear of confrontation, the anxiety of disrupting the hierarchy. It’s the voice of our internal critic whispering, “Is this really worth the risk?”
If you’ve felt this, you are not alone. It’s a natural human response to power dynamics. Yet, choosing to speak up, even when it’s difficult, isn’t just an act of individual courage—it is an essential act of inclusive leadership. It is the moment you decide to turn that fear into fuel, ensuring your voice contributes to a better outcome for everyone.
Silence Kills Culture, Voice Drives Retention
When we choose silence, the cost is far greater than one missed idea. That unvoiced perspective, that politely swallowed disagreement, chips away at the foundation of your workplace. Over time, consistent silence erodes psychological safety, and a lack of safety is the biggest threat to organizational health.
This is where the business case for courage becomes crystal clear. We know from research that an inclusive work environment is the most sustainable competitive advantage a company can have. Why? Because it directly impacts your retention rates and overall productivity.
When employees don’t feel seen, heard, and that they truly belong, they leave. It’s that simple. And the feeling of belonging is inextricably linked to the freedom to speak your truth without fear of retribution, even to the highest levels of leadership. When people with less power are routinely silenced, the company loses diverse perspectives, innovation stagnates, and the talent walks right out the door to a place that values their full contribution. Your organizational culture suffers because it becomes one based on compliance, not collaboration.
Speaking up, therefore, isn’t just about you; it’s an intervention to preserve the health of the team and the organization.
Reframing Power as a Conversation, Not a Confrontation
The core barrier we face is often a misunderstanding of power itself. We view it as a zero-sum game: if they have more, I have less. But power, in an inclusive context, is simply a position of greater influence and responsibility. As we discuss in We Want You: An Allyship Guide for People with Power, leaders who receive pushback or honest feedback have a massive opportunity to model allyship.
Your job isn’t to fight their power; it’s to wield your own personal power (the power of your perspective and expertise) to start a productive dialogue.
So, how do you do it? We can move past the fear of being seen as “difficult” or “insubordinate” by employing a clear, objective framework. This moves the conversation out of the realm of emotion and into the territory of actionable business insight.
The Power of SBI as a Pushback-Proof Framework
To speak up effectively, you need structure. One of the most powerful tools in inclusive leadership is the SBI Model: Situation, Behavior, Impact. This framework removes judgment and grounds your feedback in observable facts, making it difficult for the person in power to dismiss.
Here’s how you can prepare and deliver it:
S (Situation): Pinpoint the Context. Before you speak, define the exact Situation. This is the when and where. Be specific.
Instead of: “I want to talk about how the project is being managed.”
Try: “When we were discussing the Q3 budget in the all-hands meeting yesterday…”
B (Behavior): Describe the Action, Not the Person. This is the most critical step. Describe the observable, factual Behavior of the person in power. Do not interpret their motivation or intentions.
Instead of: “…you seemed impatient and dismissive.”
Try: “…you cut off three people when they were providing counterpoints to your proposal.”
I (Impact): Articulate the Consequence. Finally, explain the Impact that behavior had on you, the team, or the project. This is the retention piece—the human case. How did it affect psychological safety?
Instead of: “That made me feel undervalued.” (Focuses on your feelings, which is easy to debate.)
Try: “The impact of cutting off those three voices is that the team now believes those perspectives are not welcome, which means we lost valuable risk-assessment data and will likely face compliance issues later on.” (Focuses on the business consequence.)
Putting it Together: “Situation: When we were discussing the Q3 budget yesterday, Behavior: you cut off three people who were trying to provide alternative data. Impact: The result is that our team now feels unsafe sharing contradictory analysis, which is actively harming our ability to perform proper risk assessment.”
Notice how this approach is firm, respectful, and focused entirely on the outcome that matters to the organization. It’s pushback-proof because you are using facts to advocate for better business decisions, not personal grievances.
Make Your Voice a Catalyst for Culture
When you use a framework like SBI, you elevate the conversation. You demonstrate leadership by offering structured, valuable insight that the person in power may not have been aware of. You are inviting them to step into their role as an ally by listening and responding constructively.
Speaking up is hard work. It requires preparation and courage. But every time you do it successfully, you don’t just solve a problem; you build a stronger culture—one interaction at a time. You model the very behavior that makes a workplace inclusive, ensuring that the next person who has something important to say will have the safety and confidence to speak up. That is how you drive retention and lead like an ally.
The workplace of the future is one where every voice contributes. Your moment to speak up is your moment to lead. Let’s make some noise.
If you like this content, check out our Next Pivot Point workshops to bring this content to your organization.