Here’s How You Can Successfully Challenge Your Boss at Work and Be Respected for It
There are times when dealing with your colleagues at work can evoke a mixture of complex emotions inside of you. If you’re particularly friendly with a coworker, then it’s easy for you to engage with them. But if there are certain people at work with whom you aren’t exactly on friendly terms, then there’s likely going to be an aura of professinal awkwardness every time you are forced to coordinate with them on a particular task. But while challenging your equals is relatively easy for you, it’s another thing entirely to challenge those who are above you.
Challenging your immediate supervisor, manager, or boss at work is something that might cause weaker employees to crumble at the knees. The very idea of arguing or disagreeing with higher management might very well be the thing that could cause you to lose your job. However, people shouldn’t be afraid of standing up to their superiors at work, especially if the argument revolves around an important issue directly related to business matters. In fact, you shouldn’t shy away from facing off with your boss if the situation is to happen.
Despite what kind of professional relationship you might have with your superior, there’s nothing for you to fear about engaging in some sort of debate with your boss if you’re thinking about the wellbeing of the company you are working for. So if you ever find yourself in a position where you disagree with your supervisor at work, then you’re in luck! Listed below are the guidelines you need to remember should you need to challenge your boss in a constructive manner and end up being respected for your actions at the end of it.
Build a foundation of trust
Trust is a highly fundamental element that fosters a healthy relationship between an employer and an employee, and this applies to both you and your boss, as well. The thing is that you cannot hope to possibly win an argument with your supervisor at work if you don’t have a solid foundation of trust anchored between the two of you. And how exactly do you build trust with your boss? Answer: by making sure that you’re competent at your job.
Higher management appreciates those employees who are consistent when it comes to exceptional performance and exhibits a commendable work ethic. Such qualities will prompt them to put a considerable amount of trust towards an individual, so you’ll have an advantage going into an argument with your boss if you happen to be a top performing employee in your company. Use it as leverage in order to make your opinions heard.
Avoid acting petty
Bear in mind that whenever you’re talking to your boss—or any of your colleagues, for that matter—you must always keep things professional since the workplace is not a forum to air out personal grievances. When things get heated with your superior after stumbling into a disagreement on a work-related subject matter, then you must consciously make an effort to keep your composure and steer clear of being petty for the sake of having the last word.
Oftentimes, your boss might say some things to you in the heat of the moment where it might be a hit on your ego. When this happens, it’s important to remember that this isn’t a personal attack against you, so you have to learn to let small stuff like this slide off your back. It’s going to be a waste of time on your part to dwell on negative thoughts, so dust yourself off and move on from an argument with your boss whether you win or lose.
Be tactful with your words
In relation to the previous statement, people will say hurtful things to each other in the throes of an intense argument but don’t really mean what they say. Even if this is the case, you have to be the bigger person in any workplace debate by making sure that you always think before you speak, especially when you find yourself squaring off with your boss. Putting a filter between your brain and your mouth will prove to be your saving grace.
Aside from knowing how to properly phrase your arguments when disagreeing with your manager, you should also learn how to deliver them in a tone that doesn’t come off as aggressive, confrontational, or egotistical. Remember, you should still remember your place within the hierarchy of the company, and you’re certainly going to cross a boundary if you talk back to your boss in a way that is dismissive, patronizing, sarcastic, or outright insulting.
Timing is everything
It’s important for you to remember that you can’t just pick a fight with your boss when you feel like it. You have to understand that timing is essential when it comes to confronting your supervisor at work, and when the time is right, you’ll discover that it’s better to wait than coming in without thinking about the potential consequences. And you should really pay attention to timing since a meeting with your boss depends on key temporal factors.
For example, if you know that your boss is more agreeable or manageable in the morning compared to in the afternoon, then that’s the ideal time for you to meet with your manager and engage in a positive conflict. Furthermore, the reason why you should be mindful of timing is that it allows you the chance to hopefully reconsider your options and potentially avoid a conflict with your boss in the first place if you manage to clear your thoughts.
Realize what is at stake
Another thing that you need to take into serious consideration when picking a fight with your boss at work is that you should know exactly the reason why you are disagreeing with your immediate superior, and the possible consequences that could come out of that argument. This is of the absolute importance because you need to see the bigger picture in any debate so that you’ll know exactly where you’ll stand once the issue is laid to rest.
If you believe that you have a fighting chance of winning the argument with your boss without any serious repercussions, then you should come in with confidence and the knowledge that you’re able to anticipate and deflect any counterarguments thrown your way. But on the other hand, if you know that you might bite off more than you can chew, then you should definitely think about backing off before your boss chews you out.
Be gracious with your losses
There is never any guarantee whether you’ll emerge as the victor of an argument with your boss, and if the end result paints you as the loser, then you need to be gracious about the outcome and move on from the matter. Even though you put up a good fight and managed to remain poised under pressure, you should still respect the decision of the aftermath and walk away from it knowing that you’ve said what you needed to say to your supervisor.
Moreover, when your boss sees that you are gracious in accepting the loss and emerges from the conflict with no hard feelings, then it helps them see that you are someone who understands the value of professionalism. Additionally, your gracious demeanor will allow them to raise their level of respect towards you, not to mention strengthening the level of trust, which just goes to show that you can survive a fight with your boss and live to tell it.
