Are You Shrinking Your Own Voice at Work? with Misti Rice

Are you shrinking your voice at work? You may not call it that. Instead, you call it being careful. You start with "I could be wrong, but." You wait until you are completely sure. Then you watch someone with half your expertise say it first and get the credit.

That is exactly why I wanted you to hear from Misti Rice, Vice President of Government Affairs at Magna International. Misti spends her days with policymakers, industry leaders, and even prime ministers. And yet, she told me she does everything she can to avoid speaking engagements. So her advice is not about becoming louder. It is about saying what you know, simply, and letting it stand.

The Leader Who Avoids the Spotlight

Misti has more than 30 years in government, legal, and consumer affairs. Before joining Magna in 2016, she held senior roles at Stellantis. Today, her team manages risk to Magna's operations around the world and negotiates the government incentives that come with growth. She describes the job as working in a pinball machine. In one day, she might talk with a prime minister and then handle a weather incident affecting operations overseas.

Still, when I asked her about getting visible, she started with a confession.

I am doing this podcast with you and if you were to ask my friends and my family and my staff, I do everything I can to avoid speaking engagements. And yet, I was happy to do this.

Misti Rice

In other words, she does not wait for the fear to leave. She believes you have to get out of your comfort zone to grow, because otherwise you get stuck, pigeonholed, or categorized. For that reason, her closing advice to you was simple: know your strengths, and say yes before you are ready.

You do not need to love the spotlight to earn a seat in the room.

What Bad Bosses Taught Her About Leading

Some of Misti's most useful leadership lessons came from bosses who were hard to work for. Early in her career, she worked for people who questioned every detail, even outside their own expertise. Because of that, she learned the opposite rule and built her teams around it.

One of the things that is so important is to allow the people that you hire to do the jobs that you've hired them to do, right?

Misti Rice

She also made a point I loved. Plenty of people follow the news and have opinions about her field. However, an interest is not expertise. As she joked, she has an interest in flying, but no airline is going to hand her the controls of a 747.

At the same time, she learned from great leaders throughout her career. From them, she took three habits. First, you lead by example. Second, you share the success with the team. Finally, when something fails, it is never someone else's fault on her team. It is a hundred percent her responsibility.

An interest in your field is not the same as your expertise in it. Stop letting the two sound equal.

Build the Relationship Before You Need It

Misti learned golf after law school, and she will tell you she is not a great golfer. Even so, she realized how much relationship building happens at golf outings and charity events. One early piece of advice made the game feel possible: almost all of golf is missing the hole. Once she accepted that, she could relax and focus on the people.

Her approach to those outings is strategic. She chooses events carefully and often pairs her team with customers or elected officials. If a specific issue needs raising, she raises it. Mostly, though, she is building something she can call on later.

People are much more likely to pick up the phone if they like you, right? And that is really what this is all about.

Misti Rice

Notably, she does not reserve that effort for powerful people. For a manufacturer, she said, relationships with the neighbors near a plant can matter just as much as a world leader's cell phone number.

When the phone feels terrifying

So what about the young professional who dreads making a call, or even turning on her camera? Misti's answer was direct. The first outreach is the hard part. After that, a simple text works: hey, it's Misti, give me a call at your convenience. And as I added in our conversation, the second call is less scary than the first, and the third is easier still.

How to Stop Shrinking Your Voice at Work

Next, I asked Misti what differences she has noticed in how people manage their careers. Her answer named a pattern you have probably lived.

Men will look at a job description and say, well, I have two of the 10 that are listed, I'm gonna apply. Women will look at it and say, I don't have that last year, you know, despite having every, every bit of it.

Misti Rice

Her conclusion was that the biggest thing holding many of us back is ourselves. That is not a criticism. Rather, it is good news, because it means the next step is in your hands. When I asked what she would say to someone who does the job well but does not articulate their value, she did not hesitate. Stop shrinking your own voice. If you know it, just say it. Say it simply. After all, expertise is not perfection.

She also named something most of us forget. Speaking up does not guarantee people will listen, and you have to be okay with that too. Misti gives her recommendation, and if leadership decides differently, she walks out of the room and represents that decision fully. Nobody outside ever knows she argued for something else.

If you're not at the table

Interestingly, Misti's own department lives this problem. People often assume government affairs is a cost center. She sees it as a function with direct impact on the bottom line, especially in an industry as regulated as automotive. So when someone asks why Magna needs her team at all, she answers with a question: why would you not?

If you're not at the table, then you're on the menu, right?

Misti Rice

This is the Articulation Gap in plain sight. The value of her team does not explain itself, so she explains it. Likewise, your work does not speak on its own. Somebody interprets it, and it should be you.

Never Lie, and Know When to Stop Talking

Misti hires people straight out of college when they are smart and willing to learn. Then she teaches them three rules that apply to any hard conversation, whether it is a deal, a project, or a pay discussion.

I state what I want in the negotiations that I have, and then I stop talking.

Misti Rice

Think about how often you make the ask and then keep going. You explain, you justify, and you offer a discount before anyone pushes back. Instead, try the pause. Your point is stronger when you let it land.

What I Want You to Take From This

Misti does not love speaking in public. Nevertheless, she has built a career on relationships, clear recommendations, and the discipline to say what she knows and then stop. That combination is available to you, too, no matter how quiet you are.

Here is what I know from my own career. For years, I believed my hard work would get noticed. It did not, until I started saying out loud what I was delivering and what I wanted next. That is the heart of the Articulation Gap: the distance between the impact you create and the impact leadership recognizes and rewards.

So here is your move this week. The next time you catch yourself starting with "I could be wrong," drop it. Say what you know in one sentence. Then stop talking.

About Misti Rice

As Vice President of Government Affairs at Magna International Inc., Misti Rice drives the company's global strategy across government relations, economic and workforce development, education, and advocacy. She serves as Magna's lead voice with policymakers, industry organizations, and community leaders worldwide.

A seasoned leader with more than 30 years in government, legal, and consumer affairs, Misti has shaped policy across automotive, transportation, manufacturing, education, and healthcare. Before joining Magna in 2016, she held senior roles at Stellantis, advising boards and executives on geopolitical risk, trade strategy, and regulatory affairs. Her expertise in securing competitive advantage through incentives and global funding strategies is recognized across industries.

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