You hold back instead of stepping into leadership.
Victoria Vanish had great ideas—she just never shared them.
In meetings, she’d listen, nod, and take notes, but when it was time to speak up, she’d think:
What if it’s not a good idea? What if someone else knows better? What if I get it wrong?
So, she stayed silent.
One day, the team was brainstorming solutions for a project. Victoria had the perfect idea—a simple fix that could save hours of work.
But before she could gather the courage to say it, someone else spoke up with a different (and much worse) suggestion.
The team nodded, the idea was approved, and Victoria sat there, stomach sinking.
Later that day, her colleague Mark passed her desk. “You know,” Mark said, “I saw your notes. Why didn’t you say that in the meeting? That was way better than what we went with.”
Victoria sighed. “I wasn’t sure if it was the right call.”
Mark grinned. “And now we’re stuck with the wrong one.”
That moment hit Victoria like a shockwave.
Her fear of being wrong had kept her from making things right.
The next meeting, when the team asked for ideas, Victoria did something radical—she spoke.
“I think we should try this instead.”
Heads turned. Her idea was good. The team ran with it.
And for the first time, Victoria realised—her voice had been missing, and no one even knew.
From that day on, She made a new rule: speak up once per meeting. No overthinking. No hesitation.
Because leaders aren’t the ones with the best ideas. They’re the ones willing to share them.
You hold back instead of stepping into leadership.
Your ideas go unheard, limiting your influence and impact.
Speak up at least once per meeting, even if it feels uncomfortable.
“If you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise from another place.” — Esther 4:14
John Michael