One of the most dangerous things that could happen in the workplace is when the employees start to blindly follow their department heads or bosses out of fear. Instead of speaking up, they all start to grumble behind the back of the manager and a massive cloud of negativity starts to form which starts to dampen morale and lower productivity and the quality of work. This can also be the same for a client-agency relationship. Most service providers eventually get tired of trying to convince their clients and they just do what the client says even if they have a strong feeling that what the client wants is wrong. So how do we go about telling our bosses that they’re about to make a huge mistake? Here are some tips that I picked up that I’d like to share with everyone.
Don’t go charging in with guns blazing
The last thing you want to do is to loudly and disrespectfully argue with your boss. While this may work on some instances, but the risks involved in this approach are just too high. I’ve done my fair share of arguing with my bosses when I was still in corporate and even now with our clients. Here’s what I usually do when I’m trying to change the mind of a superior.
- Acknowledge the decision – start by saying that you recognize the direction but you respectfully disagree and you’d like to take this opportunity to present an alternative.
- Present an alternative – by this time you definitely have the attention of your boss/client. Don’t just say that he or she is wrong. Provide a solid alternative course of action. Don’t linger around too much in the delivery. Be direct-to-the-point with your recommendation and follow it up with the next step below.
- Show the facts – quickly back-up your recommendations with facts. Get some numbers, figures, or case studies to reinforce your point. I never go up to my boss or client with the intent of correcting him/her without data. If I have a strong feeling about something I’ll research and get the data that will support my suggestion so that it has more substance when I present it.
- Honor the office – at the end of the day, the person you are talking to is your boss. Your role here is to talk to him and present an alternative but ultimately the decision is his. Whatever he or she decides, you’ll have to fully support it and give your 100%.
If the boss doesn’t follow your reco, never go up to him and say “I told you so”. That’s a surefire way of building bad blood and this can adversely affect your career. Rest well knowing that he knows that you were right and he will probably won’t take your counsel lightly anymore in the future. Don’t let one disagreement destroy the relationship. The reality with business is that problems never cease from coming. Be resilient and diligent with coming up with the proper solutions and recommendations. If they don’t follow your advice now, there’s always a new problem along the way wherein they might.
For added reading, please do check this comic strip out by theoatmeal.com. It’s about how a web design goes to hell after a designer just says yes to everything the client says. 
Very good stuff.
The late Dr. R. L. Kintanar who retired from the PAGASA, once told me, after my immediate supervisor told on me that I argued with him (my supervisor): Vale, I told your chief that he should be open to arguments even with his subordinates. I told him I even encourage that. Now, I am telling you, Vale, that after an argument you should respect your superiors decisions. Prisco D. Nilo, the PAGASA Administrator who wss recently sacked, must have adopted Dr. Kintanar’s that supervisor-subordinate philosophy that gave him (Nilo) the courage of rguing with Sec. M. Montejo on the issue of a budget proposal. Unfortunately, Nilo was arguing with a superior but who was not Dr. Kintanar – an eminent scientist who was recognized internationally and probably the best administrator Pagasa had.
That’s sad to hear RG. I think the problem with most government appointees is that they’re not trained as managers. They might have years of experience as individual professionals but I doubt that all of the appointees have the proper training in management.