Finding my voice

Turns out there’s a difference between knowing you should say something and actually saying it. Yesterday’s conversation with Alex at the gym keeps replaying in my head, and I’m still processing what happened when I finally called him out on the competitive nonsense during our team workouts.

Finding my voice

I’ve been dancing around this issue for weeks, watching him turn every group session into his personal showcase while other people just… dealt with it. Sarah mentioned it. Carmen rolled her eyes about it. Even Jake noticed the tension when I came home frustrated. But I kept thinking someone else would handle it, or that maybe I was overreacting.

Processing mode: activated

The weird thing is how simple it was once I actually did it. “Alex, this isn’t working. These sessions are supposed to support everyone, and right now they’re not.” Direct. Clear. No apologizing for having an opinion. He actually seemed surprised that I had one, which says something about how I’ve been showing up professionally. Note to self: being accommodating is not the same as being collaborative.

Jake found me like this when he got home - journal out, trying to figure out what this means for how I handle leadership situations going forward. Apparently standing up for your team feels weird when you’re not used to doing it. Who would have thought?