“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

In light of March being Women’s History Month, this quote felt incredibly appropriate. But men, this quote is for you, too! “Well-behaved” is what we were all taught from kindergarten on, but what about the people who completely ignored that advice? Rosa Parks is one of those people who refused to behave. So is Malala Yousafzai. And there are many more as well. We are very lucky that there have been so many women who refused to “behave.”

What does that mean for us? We have been “well-behaved” for quite some time now. Well-behaved seems to imply, “Don’t make any waves,” but is that really the best thing for us, our personal growth, or the growth of our companies? Is that really where and how the best work gets done? Is “keeping our head down and doing our job,” how growth, excellence, and success happen? And in this pandemic, this safe behavior seems to be more prevalent than ever in our WFH environment.

Today, think about finding your voice in 3 ways. We are about to make some waves—good waves. What do you need to speak up about at work? What do you need to speak up about at home? And finally, who do you need to encourage to speak up so they can be a little less “well-behaved” also? Life is too short to be “well-behaved” all the time. Let’s stir the pot a bit! Look, as I have said so many times before, “You are already at “No.”

With Gratitude,

Beth