A difficult boss can make it hard to get your ideas heard. If you want to make your ideas heard, frame your pitch in a way that avoids sounding like it’s a challenge to their authority.
Photo by Innovate360.
As tips blog 99u points out, challenging your boss’s ideas and challenging your boss are two separate things. If you can let your manager know that you respect their authority and will ultimately accept their final decision, you can boost your chances of getting your idea across:
The point is to remove any contest of authority from the table. When you want to challenge the decision, it’s often instead perceived as a challenge to authority. Most people who engage in level 1 “I’ll tell you what to do…” behaviour do not respond well to challenges to their authority.
Your boss may not always agree with your input if you preemptively agree to their final decision, but you can at least circumvent any unnecessary power struggles. Keep in mind, most authority figures don’t like to have their authority challenged, regardless of whether or not you have a good idea. By framing your pitch as a cooperative effort, rather than an explanation of why your boss is wrong, you can smooth the conversation.
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