Hello Good People,

There is a difference between being quiet and being powerless.

This week’s conversation on Lena Speaks reminded me of that.

I sat down with Melissa Sprigler, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at One Southern Indiana, and we talked about leadership, career growth, family, confidence and what it really takes to become the person you're capable of becoming.

One part of our conversation stayed with me.

Melissa talked about being the quieter person in the room.

Not necessarily the person who speaks first.

Not the person who needs the most airtime.

But she has learned something important:

You don't have to be the loudest person in the room to make an impact.

You do, however, have to learn when it's time to use your voice.

Watch and Listen to the this week’s podcast here.

There are people in workplaces everywhere who have good ideas, strong instincts and valuable perspectives.

But they hesitate.

They wonder:

Should I say something?

Do I know enough?

What if they disagree?

What if I'm wrong?

Melissa shared that part of her own leadership growth has been learning to speak up, disagree when necessary and trust that her perspective belongs in the conversation.

And something interesting happened when she started doing it.

Nothing terrible happened.

Instead, people began to hear her.

Respect her.

Notice her.

That matters.

Because your leadership isn't determined by how much space you occupy.

It's determined by what happens because you were in the room.

Melissa also said something else that I think many professionals need to hear:

You never know who's watching.

Sometimes we're waiting for someone to announce that we've grown.

That we're ready.

That we're leadership material.

Meanwhile, people have already been observing how we handle responsibility.

How we respond when something goes wrong.

How we treat people.

Whether we take accountability.

Whether we can be trusted.

Whether we speak when something needs to be said.

Your reputation is often being built in rooms where nobody tells you they're evaluating you.

That's why leadership has never just been about a title.

It's about how you consistently show up.

Toward the end of our conversation, Melissa talked about opportunities.

There have been moments when she questioned whether she was ready.

Maybe you've done the same thing.

You get the opportunity and immediately start looking for evidence that you aren't qualified for it.

But growth rarely sends an invitation that says:

Congratulations. You now feel 100% prepared.

Sometimes you have to say yes and grow into what comes next.

That's not pretending.

That's development.

There is a difference.

Here's where I want to challenge you this week.

Don't only ask:

Where do I want to go next?

Ask:

Who do I need to become next?

What conversation have you been avoiding?

Where are you shrinking your voice?

Where do you need stronger boundaries?

What opportunity are you talking yourself out of?

What have people been trying to tell you about how they experience your leadership?

And what would change if you were intentional about working on it?

Those questions are part of why I created The Authentic Encounter Journal™.

This isn't a journal filled with empty pages asking you to magically figure everything out.

It was created to help you pause, reflect, identify what is happening beneath the surface and turn insight into intentional action.

Because transformation requires more than knowing better.

At some point, you have to do the work.

Explore The Authentic Encounter Journal™ available in digital and printed formats.

And as you move through this week, remember:

Quiet does not mean weak.

You don't have to dominate the room.

But when the moment requires your voice, don't disappear from it.

Keep becoming.

Lena Morris
Founder & CEO
Authentic Encounters, LLC

Real Conversations. Lasting Transformation.