{"id":6769,"date":"2023-07-26T20:28:42","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T20:28:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/leadership\/how-to-disagree-with-your-boss-in-a-professional-and-effective-way\/"},"modified":"2023-07-26T20:28:43","modified_gmt":"2023-07-26T20:28:43","slug":"how-to-disagree-with-your-boss-in-a-professional-and-effective-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=6769","title":{"rendered":"How To Disagree With Your Boss In A Professional and Effective Way"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Relationships are hard, both in our personal and professional lives. Invariably, disagreements arise between any two people who spend a lot of time together trying to work toward a common goal, whether raising a family or launching a product.<\/p>\n

In your personal life, you may be more comfortable challenging your spouse or sibling on a decision. But at work, disagreeing with someone, especially someone more senior than you, can be difficult. The power dynamics between an employee and boss can make it hard to speak up. How do you do it?<\/p>\n

First, an Assumption<\/strong><\/p>\n

Before answering that question, let\u2019s first assume you work in a place where your opinion is<\/em> valued. This is an organization where something called \u201cteam psychological safety\u201d\u2014a term coined by Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmonson and faculty chair of HBS Online\u2019s new CLIMB program\u2014is part of the culture. As Edmonson notes, psychological safety exists when people feel \u201cconfident that candor and vulnerability are welcome in their workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

One trait of organizations with psychological safety is that people aren\u2019t afraid to speak \u201ctruth to power.\u201d This is important for any healthy organization and a necessary pre-condition to allow you to productively disagree with your boss. If your organization lacks this trait, then the following advice may not work. If that\u2019s the case, you may want to consider looking for a new workplace.<\/p>\n

<\/fbs-ad><\/p>\n

But if you\u2019re at a company with elements of team psychological safety, here\u2019s how to disagree with your boss in a productive way.<\/p>\n

Lean on Data<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t just make a pitch for a different path from the one your boss is considering or has already embarked upon because your position on an issue \u201cfeels\u201d right. While intuition is real, research shows it\u2019s informed by experience. The more junior you are, the less likely your \u201cgut\u201d will lead you in the right direction. Those who have been in business longer may know this.<\/p>\n

Therefore, find all the data you can to support your position. But don\u2019t just<\/em> find it. Make it tell a story. Throwing a bunch of numbers at somebody without context and a structured argument is not very effective. Think in terms of \u201cif-then-else\u201d: If<\/em> the data shows X is true, then<\/em> Y must be our course of action, or else<\/em> Z must be true, and another course makes sense.<\/p>\n

Be Respectful<\/strong><\/p>\n

Just because you may be right doesn\u2019t mean you should go out of your way to show your boss they\u2019re wrong. This is especially critical since you\u2019ll likely continue to work with that person once the issue is resolved.<\/p>\n

I recently came across a wonderful article by Phillippe Duhamel titled \u201c7 Tips for Respectful Persuasion.\u201d I list them below with my own take on what they mean when disagreeing with your boss:<\/p>\n

1. Tune in and connect<\/strong>: Connect on a level and\/or topic unrelated to the issue you\u2019re dealing with. Since you probably already know your boss, this sense of personal connection is hopefully in place.<\/p>\n

2. Pace the energy<\/strong>: Don\u2019t be overbearing; mirror the energy of the person you\u2019re trying to convince of your point of view.<\/p>\n

3. Pay attention to cues<\/strong>: If your boss seems unconvinced, recognize that, and ask questions like, \u201cDoes this make sense?\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Be transparent<\/strong>: Said another way, be human. You\u2019re not a robot. You were hired because you bring a different perspective and good judgment to the table. Use both.<\/p>\n

5. Listen carefully<\/strong>: Your boss has a reason for their position. Hear them out. You won\u2019t convince them of where you stand if you can\u2019t address their own decision-making logic.<\/p>\n

6. Stay humble<\/strong>: Even if you\u2019re right, nobody likes a know-it-all.<\/p>\n

7. Go, then let go<\/strong>: Make your best case but recognize that, in the end, somebody has to decide. And if that\u2019s not you, live to fight another day.<\/p>\n

Pick Your Battles<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s unlikely your boss is always<\/em> wrong. If you decide to convince them that there\u2019s a better way, be sure it\u2019s worth your time, the expenditure of your political capital, and could have a material impact on your organization\u2019s performance. Deciding what color balloons to have on either side of the door for a retail location\u2019s grand opening won\u2019t materially impact a company\u2019s prospects. But deciding where<\/em> to put that retail outlet could.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean you should, or even can, chime in on an organization\u2019s biggest decisions every time. I once heard somebody say you should pick battles big enough to matter but small enough to win. I think this is good advice for young professionals. I\u2019m not saying you shouldn\u2019t try to have your voice heard no matter the issue. But I am saying that you only have so much time in a day, so use your incredible insight wisely.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t forget something I noted earlier: Even in an age of ChatGPT, human insight and judgment are greatly valued. You have large measures of both. Use them at work. Be strategic but not timid when it comes to showing those more senior than you there might be a better path. Practicing that muscle early and often will set you up for professional success. It might even help in your personal life …<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Relationships are hard, both in our personal and professional lives. Invariably, disagreements arise between any two people who spend a lot of time together trying to work toward a common goal, whether raising a family or launching a product. In your personal life, you may be more comfortable challenging your spouse or sibling on a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6770,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6769","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leadership"},"yoast_head":"\nHow To Disagree With Your Boss In A Professional and Effective Way | Brandiary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Relationships are hard, both in our personal and professional lives. 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