Giving Everyone Their Own Voice (and Making Sure it is Heard)

By Maribeth Petrizzi, Assistant Director, Federal Trade Commission; 2021 Roger W. Jones Award Recipient?

It has been over 30 years since I first arrived in DC as a new attorney, but I can still remember the feeling I had when I wondered how I should voice my perspective in a team meeting. I was uncertain about whether I knew enough to offer my opinion and whether I should offer my opinion in the same manner as everyone else. The same could be said of the first time I was preparing for a deposition, and the core to my preparation was my internal debate of whether I should emulate the style of my lead attorney or should I conduct my deposition in a style that was more like how I would prefer to engage with the witness.

It was important to me to “find my voice” and after some initial trial and error I was able to engage in a manner that worked for me, and it achieved the results I wanted. I interjected when I felt I had something of value to say and I spoke in a manner most comfortable for me. One of the greatest lessons I learned through this self-discovery was the fact that a voice and a style did not need to be like mine for that voice and style to be effective. I observed colleagues and opposing counsel operate in a variety of effective manners which were quite different than my own style.?

Fast forward several years later when I first became a manager of case teams, and I initially lost my way and forgot about the lesson I had learned many years ago. I would provide feedback to my colleagues to use a style of engagement with opposing counsel and in briefings that was closer to my voice and my style. I would let an attorney know when I thought they weren’t assertive enough and when they didn’t express their thoughts in a style that I had observed to work in others.

Fortunately, I remembered the greatest power I have as a manager is to make sure I provide a path to let each person speak with a style and a presence that is best suited to them.

This is a lesson I continue to observe and continue to learn - people are at their best when they can work and speak in a manner which works for them. When we give everyone the opportunity to have their voice heard and to engage in their own style, the results are truly wonderful. People feel respected and more confident when they are heard, especially when they are given the opportunity to be true to themselves and can present in their own voice.??This will result in greater diversity of thoughts and perspectives, and it will also give all involved ownership and pride in their work. These are wonderful personal benefits, but this will also lead to better organizational benefits, too.

As a manager or as a team lead, I also think it is important to make sure we help each member of our team know that we want to hear their voices and we should always work to provide a path to make sure everyone is heard. This latter point is important in a meeting full of enthusiastic attorneys – everyone has a great idea and some individuals who are less assertive may find it harder to break into an active conversation. I think that we have multiple jobs as a manager in this situation: (1) Make sure everyone in the meeting is heard. We can do that by purposefully surveying the attendees and going to the least assertive person first. (2) Interjecting on behalf of someone that we see is trying to speak but is uncertain about how to merge into the conversation. I will provide a “break in the discussion traffic” and affirmatively signal the hesitant speaker that I am providing an “on ramp” for them to break into the discussion; and (3) Take the time after a meeting to talk to your team and provide feedback on their contributions and method of presentations.

All our efforts are enhanced when we allow for a diversity of voices and perspectives, and as managers we have the tools to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and to support all voices even when or especially when they sound nothing like our own.

About the Author:?

Maribeth Petrizzi has been an antitrust practitioner since she graduated from Boston College Law School in 1990. She is the Assistant Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Compliance Division and she served as the Acting Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition from February 2021 to June 2021. As the Assistant Director of the Compliance Division she oversees the drafting and negotiation of FTC orders originating in the Bureau of Competition and oversees company conduct required by the orders. Prior to her tenure at the FTC, Ms. Petrizzi was the Chief of the Defense, Industrials, and Aerospace Section of the Antitrust Division (Division) of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) for sixteen years. She joined the Division in 1998 after working at the FTC and in private practice. Ms. Petrizzi has participated in successful litigation at the Division and has led the effort to resolve matters through settlement processes at the Division and the FTC. Ms. Petrizzi received the Presidential Rank Award for her career accomplishments as a member of the Senior Executive Service in 2019.

Ms. Petrizzi has worked tirelessly to help develop a strong and diverse workforce within both agencies. She has supported efforts to diversify the FTC’s and the Division’s workforce and to facilitate greater understanding among their employees. Ms. Petrizzi was an active participant in the Division’s Diversity Committee from its formation until she left the Division. She is now a member of the FTC’s Diversity Council and chairs the Sustainability Committee.??In recognition of her contributions in fostering diversity and inclusion, Ms. Petrizzi received the Attorney General’s Award for Equal Employment Opportunity in 2016 and 2018, as well as the Assistant Attorney General’s Diversity Champion Award in 2017.