Check Yourself Before You Disagree with Senior Management
It
takes courage to disagree with someone senior to you, but doing it is
an important skill, especially if you don’t want the leaders in your
organization to think of you as a doormat with nothing to contribute.
You want to voice your opinion in a way that will gain respect — not get
your head handed to you. So check yourself before you speak up. First,
don’t just blurt out your point of view; think it through. Why do you
disagree? Could your disagreement be perceived as political? Or do you
have the good of the organization at heart? You are more likely to be
believed if you don’t have anything to gain from your perspective.
Second, make sure you have all the relevant facts. Senior people usually
have access to more information than the people below them. Is there
something you might be missing? Third, bounce your point of view off of a
few trusted peers. If you can’t convince them, you’re probably not
going to convince the senior leaders, so ask for their feedback on how
to be persuasive. Be careful that you don’t only ask your direct
reports: They might be just as hesitant to disagree with someone above
them.
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