I really like Margaret Heffernan’s TED talk “What Does Everyday Courage Look Like”. She mentioned that it’s very common that most people do not speak up even though they feel the need.

One of the many reasons why this happens is that if they speak up, they worry there’s a possibility that something bad would happen. For example, they may want to advice something good for the company, but worry it’s not appropriate for the culture, and afraid that speaking up may post a risk in the career.

Margaret made two good points why we should speak up:

1. Whether you choose t speak up or not, there are risks associated with both scenarios. The only thing is that, if you don’t say anything, things will stay the same.
2. It’s even more important if the current culture does not encourage people to speak. Culture is established by people. If you keep speaking up, culture will change.

See her talk at NPR: http://www.npr.org/2014/12/12/368759610/what-does-everyday-courage-look-like