The Next Voice You Hear

We hear many voices in our lives and the ones that shake our worldview are the ones we tend to dismiss first. If a voice doesn’t fit with the story we have designed for ourselves or our organization, we decide it must be of little or no consequence.

If I had a wrong answer buzzer, I would be pressing it now.

Dealing with these Dissident Voices requires talking to the person who disagrees with you because you need to find out why they are protesting or complaining. Voices of dissent are signs of things to come. They point out the small details or the trends you are ignoring that if handled, might prevent a disaster.

In applying this as a Chief Staff Executive, it requires being uncomfortable. If pressure makes coal into a diamond, then discomfort takes a leader from solid performer to outstanding leader.

Talking to people who make you uncomfortable or shake your sense of reality is necessary. Those voices are there to help you even if they seem antagonistic or critical -- that doesn’t mean their opinion lacks validity. And sometimes the most unusual, strangest, or off the wall voices are the ones that shine light into our lives.

In 1950, a movie was released titled “The Next Voice You Hear.” This movie is the story of a tired and stressed world (sound familiar?) that needs some encouragement. One evening, hope and encouragement come from an unexpected source: the radio.

However, the kicker is this: The voice on the radio says he is GOD. Yes, that’s right. The Almighty. The Lord of all Things. The guy who did all this work in just under a week. Of course, most people scoff at this. It MUST be a practical joke because why on Earth would God talk on the radio? And who would have the resources to pre-empt worldwide programming at the same time everywhere? (Well, God obviously but I digress . . . )

The messages are hopeful and somewhat motivational but there must be some ulterior motive. At first, no one believes it is God because, if God is talking on the radio, that means a lot of questions are answered that we could ignore previously – but many more questions are now raised about how we think and behave. As people realize that it really is God on the radio, worldviews and attitudes are changed forever.

When it comes to the voices that we hear in our lives, both professional and personal, we tend to ignore the ones that don’t agree with us, make us uncomfortable, or destroy our false sense of security. We especially don’t like the ones that don’t feed our ego or our fragile sense of self. For example, I never ask people how old they think I am or if I look fat in these pants. Why? I just don’t want to know.

We often talk about building consensus, but many times we see leaders building walls of agreement around themselves, which prevents them from seeing what is really happening. Those voices that make you uncomfortable, that question, that push for change, are the ones that must be heard. Those are the people who will help you succeed and excel because they challenge your thinking.

Echo chambers of like-thinking people (aka “group think”) do not create intelligent conversation or identify problems. As nice as it might feel to sit around agreeing with each other, it ultimately leads to stagnation, frustration, and conflict.

Listening to the voices around you to find out what is happening from their point of view does not necessarily mean you will change your plans. But it could give you insight in to why not everyone likes what you are doing or how you are treating them. This is essential for nonprofit organization Chief Staff Executives.

While the grating voice makes you uncomfortable, consider how uncomfortable that person feels being the Voice of Dissent. They know they are outside the accepted norms or group think. But to them, speaking up is more important than their own comfort.

Ignore the Next Voice You Hear at your own peril.