I felt that I Couldn’t Speak Up When Something was Wrong

In my current role, I came across a part of a process that I felt wasn’t working very well for our customers. I wanted to raise this with my manager, but in the past when the team put forward new ideas these never progressed, so I was worried about suggesting something myself. I decided it was really important to be able to speak up. I, therefore, confided in a trusted colleague who helped me to structure what I wanted to say, showing the impact on the customer and giving me the confidence to approach my manager. The next day I spoke to my manager about the situation and it was received more positively than I expected. I think this was due to the way I explained the situation and adapted my approach so that it was well-received. She is going to take my proposal to the management meeting next week for approval. I would now feel confident to put ideas forward in the future.