Congratulations America! We win the “wet noodle” award. In a country that supposedly is the purest democracy in the world, where everyone is free to express their opinions, why don’t we express our opinions? Or maybe I should ask why don’t we all express our opinions?
While riding a shuttle bus to the airport on a recent business trip, I found myself conversing with my fellow passengers about a well-known civil protest. When I mentioned my opposition to the protestors’ cause, I was confronted harshly by one of the passengers. “I see you agree with their cause then,” I said, speaking of the protestors. “No,” he said, “I disagree with them, but I feel we should be open minded to everyone’s opinion.” I asked him, “How about my opinion? Why does it bother you that I speak out in opposition?” The passenger started his response, then paused and said, “You know, I’m not really sure.”
It seems we’ve reached a point in our evolution as a country where only the radicals are free to express their views. Reflecting on my incident on the shuttle bus, I remembered many times when I either have not expressed my feeling in order to avoid similar situations, or have felt guilty about expressing them. Thousands of people with a relatively unpopular social view can disrupt city traffic and hassle pedestrians to promote their opinion, but I can’t express mine in a group of five people who agree with me!
Social issues, unfortunately, are not the only taboo areas where people are afraid to express their views and beliefs; the business world is full of similar examples. How many times have you been unhappy with your meal at a restaurant but quietly finished it without a word? Or maybe you got terrible service at the same restaurant but you said nothing and still left a 15 percent tip. Or you listened to the manager at the auto repair shop say, “We had to charge you $625 because your knuten valve had slipped down over your colaberdated threadostat causing your valvenoids to sputter – oh, and all the old parts are in the front seat.” After which you quietly walked to the counter in a state of bewilderment and handed the uninterested cashier your credit card.
This can be even worse when there are no people involved in the transaction. Consider the person who tries to order an item from a catalog and encounters a voice mail system. After getting lost in the system, they get frustrated and just hang up.
The problem in all these examples is that, by being timid about expressing our views, we do not provide an avenue for the company to change or improve their service.
Why have we become so passive? Maybe we don’t want to be labeled as extremists, or maybe we think nobody really cares. Then again, it might be that we are all trying to join hands and sing “We are the World.” But it’s important to remember that our nation was founded on protest and personal opinion. And while some people are chronic complainers and some protests can be divisive, there are some important purposes for opposition in society as well as business.
First, protest and open discussion bring awareness to potential problems that, when allowed to persist, can cause severe long-term consequences. Second, protest puts pressure on all involved parties to see a problem and reconcile their own position on the subject. Third, and most important, protest brings about reform and change. In any business, the only pressure to fix problems comes from the protest and opinions of customers. It is the life blood of organizational progress.
So while I am proud of those whom history records as willing to stand up and speak out and cause change, I also applaud the single customer who is willing to speak out and cause positive change for our company’s future.