Confronting Your Boss.

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Written by Heather Buckley – 03.04.09

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Dealing with issues at work is covered on our Assertiveness Training Course, a summary is provided below:

Understand the situation.

Realise what it is exactly what you want and the reasons behind this before you talk to your boss, if you fail to collect and talk about your thoughts and feelings in a coherent manner then it is unlikely you will be listened to. It is also necessary to appreciate your boss’s position, don’t be unreasonable in what you ask, this will only but your boss in a position where they have to say no. Most boss’s you will encounter will not like saying no as it makes them out to be the bad guy however you have to give them something to work with first.

Take a look at the big picture.

Make sure that it is a worthwhile issue to confront your boss over. Confronting a superior is never an easy thing to do and getting worked up about something which doesn’t matter will only serve to set you back in the long term.

Accept the consequences.

If, after taking these previous factors into account, you still decide that you want to confront your boss then you must come to terms with the consequences of your actions. Depending upon what issues you bring up and the manner in which you do so these consequences will differ, and maybe for the better in some cases. However by bringing the issue up in the first place you should fully understand the repercussions of your actions.

Be respectful

Don’t go in all guns blazing, it can be easier than you would think to overcompensate and go from being assertive to being rude. Remember who it is that you are talking to, whoever it is and whatever they have done they are still your boss and insulting them or getting too worked will only spell bad things in your future. Try and be calm and direct, maintaining the employee-boss relationship but whilst making your opinions heard. Don’t raise your voice or be too aggressive no matter what the situation this will only make matters worse.

… But avoid becoming too passive.

The trick is to find the balance between being aggressive and being too passive. If you feel you are being manipulated or unfairly treated then politely and calmly reassert yourself and redirect the conversation back to your side of the issue. It can be easy to be intimidated by a boss and you can often find yourself, just through sheer force of habit, agreeing whilst in actual fact you are being wronged. The thing to remember is that you are entitled to an opinion; you won’t get in trouble for bringing up an issue. The area which you might encounter problems however is in the way in which you bring this issue up, be assertive but not rude and at the same time not being too passive.

What it boils down to in the end is making sure that you pick the correct fight and finding a balance between being too aggressive and too passive. It is not easy, but with a valid issue and the right approach you should be o.k.

Similar resources you may like

1. The Benefits of Being Assertive
2. Understanding Assertiveness.
3. When to be Assertive?
4. Assertiveness V Aggression and dealing with aggressive people
5. The Benefits of Assertiveness In Children

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boss, confidence, Confidence Building Training, confront your boss, confrontation, confrontation at work, confronting, course, passive, Training

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