Unless you’re the business owner, president, or chief executive of your company, you always have someone higher up to answer to. After all, employees by definition are employed by someone else. And regardless of the kind of job you’re working, you’ve almost certainly experienced moments when you’ve disagreed with managerial decisions made above you.
Everyone goes through this, and it’s easy to get defensive when policy changes feel like they’re being made by people who don’t really get what it’s like to be in your shoes. If you feel compelled to challenge a new policy, what’s the best way you can do this while still being friendly and inoffensive? Peter Barron Stark, a business management consultant out of San Diego, has posted a great video with advice on this very subject.
Be Humble
As Stark explains, you must first be humble and not assume you have all the answers or know what will work best for the company. There are oftentimes many moving parts in a business, and while you’ve become an expert at your area, all of the parts still have to fit together. This means compromise. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t have your own opinions, but always temper them with the recognition that you’re likely not a in position to see the entire field.
Be Proactive
When you want to discuss a concern, ask your manager for five minutes of his or her time. Explain that you have some concerns about the implementation of a new policy and would like more information to better understand it so you can better support it. Framing your concerns from the angle that you want to help (and not so much oppose) a change will make your manager more receptive to hearing your ideas.
Ask Questions
Another way to frame the conversation is to ask questions with the goal of understanding how senior management sees the new policy being successfully implemented, and what the new policy is meant to accomplish overall. Instead of telling your boss that you’re not in agreement with these changes or that you don’t think it will work, start by trying to understand where they’re coming from with this change. What wasn’t working that needs to be fixed?
Be Supportive
Honest communication is good, but remember to use tact. Also, be ready to tell your manager that while you have concerns, if the decision is final, you will be fully supportive in implementing the decision. Position yourself a team player this way rather than a rebel. Stark reminds us that employees who gain a reputation for being a roadblock for change are often maneuvered to areas in the company where they can have less impact—if they are not let go altogether.
Lead the Change
Lastly, offer to help lead the implementation of the new change no matter what management decides. Your willingness to be on point for this change will also make management all the more likely to listen to your feedback. If you’re going to handle a lot of the heavy lifting, that eases their burdens, after all. If you build a reputation in your organization as someone who has the skills to turn the company’s vision into a reality, then you’re putting yourself in a position to be entrusted with more responsibility in the future, which means promotion.
At The Brandt Group, we often stress the importance of empathizing with others around you: we advise management to empathize with their employees, and employees to empathize with their customers to create strong, loyal connections. This is also true for employees and their relationship with their leadership team.
It’s easy to develop the feeling that your superiors don’t really understand what it’s like to work in the trenches because they’re always up in the tower. You can’t be blamed for wishing they could understand things from your point-of-view. In that case, we have good news! This is how you accomplish that! Honest communication, handled respectfully with support and humility, will help create that two-way street.
Want to learn more? Reach out to us at The Brandt Group. We offer leadership training that can help transform you from one of the crowd to the one who can be trusted to take charge. We can also work with your managers to establish a reward system that recognizes your hard work in the field of customer service and the other details that don’t always show up on the scoreboard in the form of sales figures. Take initiative by dropping us a line today!
