There’s a lyric from Rush’s classic rock anthem “Freewill” that has always resonated with me. The premise is simple and a little unsettling, “If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.” Sit with that for a moment.
In business and in life, we tend to think of a “decision” as something active. You weigh the options, you commit, you move forward. But the lyric flips that assumption on its head. Silence is a stance. Wavering is a signal. Absence speaks.
I’ve felt this most acutely in the moments that matter most like when a community issue demands a voice, when an injustice unfolds in front of me, when a cause or a candidate calls for more than quiet support. Recently, my husband Marc and I chose to co-host a reception for a political candidate we genuinely believe in. It would have been easy to simply vote and move on. But we decided that our values deserved more than a private gesture. We chose to be visible.
Such a choice isn’t without stakes. Visibility rarely is. But here’s what I’ve come to understand: When we stay silent out of comfort or caution, we often don’t project neutrality. We project indifference. And indifference is its own kind of message.
The good news is that agency is available to all of us. Here are a few ways to start practicing it:
- Notice your non-decisions. When you find yourself perpetually “waiting to see how things unfold,” ask what that hesitation is really communicating to the people around you.
- Distinguish comfort from conviction. Staying quiet is sometimes the right call. But make sure it’s a deliberate choice, not simply the path of least resistance.
- Start small and local. You don’t have to take on a national platform to use your voice. Show up for your neighborhood, your organization, your colleagues, your family and friends.
- Let your actions amplify your words. Saying you care about something matters far less than demonstrating it. Co-hosting, volunteering, advocating — these are the verbs of values.
- Accept that visibility has a cost and pay it anyway. Taking a stand invites scrutiny. It also invites connection with people who share your convictions. That trade is almost always worth it.
The choices we make, and the ones we don’t, are constantly composing the story others tell about who we are. Better that we’re the ones writing it.
Happy Networking!