Hi First name / Friend,

 

We were launching a new multi-year strategic plan, and a new leader had just joined the team: a self-proclaimed disruptor tasked with adapting the global plan to the Canadian market and driving record growth. One of the categories poised for huge growth was outdoor. But it was a forgotten category, buried behind soccer, running, training, and other more popular, mainstream sports.

 

But I knew Canada was an outdoor country, so I figured there was potential for the category. I did some research and built a presentation on why and how we could attack the outdoor market in Canada, using grassroots efforts, like how I was approaching golf.

 

The problem was that I was leading golf. Outdoor wasn't my category. It wasn't my lane. I didn’t want to step on the toes of my peer, but I was convinced we had an opportunity. I showed the deck to our head of HR to test the waters, and their response was immediate: "Are you crazy? This isn't your lane. There's merit in your comments, but you should just keep it to yourself."

 

They weren't wrong, it wasn't my responsibility. I could easily just delete the deck and move on. But one question kept ringing in my ears: What's the worst that can happen?

 

I ran through the scenarios. It was a highly political environment, so if I showed it to our new Canadian President and they thought it was inappropriate for me to be thinking about a category that wasn't mine, they may chastise me. But they couldn't fire me, as I didn't report to them. So really, what's the worst that can happen? I showed them the deck and they loved it. They asked me to help the outdoor team build a future growth plan, and later, I was promoted to a much larger portfolio.

 

Most of the time, fear isn't protecting you from actual danger. It's protecting you from imagined consequences that will never happen. When you ask yourself: "what's the worst that can happen?" and you answer it honestly, you usually realize the answer isn't that bad. It may lead to an uncomfortable conversation or moment of embarrassment, but that's it. The upside is the possibility of impact, growth, and opportunity, and it’s infinitely bigger than the downside.

 

The best ideas don't always come from the people officially assigned to think about them. Sometimes they come from someone who sees the problem from a different angle, brings a fresh perspective, or simply dares to ask some provocative questions.

 

So let me ask you:

For this week, consider one idea you've been keeping to yourself because it's outside your official scope or role or "not your place”, and share it. Share it with your boss, a peer, someone who could do something with it. What's the worst that could happen? You will likely find that the answer to that question is not nearly as bad as never speaking up.