The Boss is always right
HOW DO you tell your boss that he is wrong? Easy. You walk up to him, look him in the eye, and say, `Boss, you are wrong.' Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer. Bosses are never wrong. They are always right. Impeccably right; unquestionably, infallibly, conclusively, right. You would think they couldn't get any righter, but there they go - getting righter and righter with each passing day. In fact, the only people in the whole wide world who can be even more right than bosses are customers - especially if they are bosses too.
Remember this: when it comes to committing career hara-kiri (as opposed to a career in hara-kiri which has severely limited growth opportunities), the three best ways known to man are these:
Telling a client that he is wrong;
Telling a boss that he is wrong;
Actually proving that your boss or your client is wrong.
Like we have said before, bosses are never wrong. It is an unwritten dictum that supervisors all around the globe strongly believe in. Bosses are never actually wrong. However, and this is a very important however; they are always open to suggestions. Mostly their own, but sometimes, when the weather outside is a pleasant 30 degrees C and the humidity is just right at 45 per cent, they open their minds to other people's opinions too.
And this is where people like you and me come in. To make hay while the sun shines. Strike when the iron is hot so as to speak. Make suggestions. Make requests. As many as you can because this is the time to do it. Allow me to elucidate.
For instance, let us suppose your boss has hit upon an idea that according to him will increase sales 25 per cent, cut costs 50 per cent, and do just about everything short of repairing the hole in the ozone layer. As usual, he is the only one excited enough to think it will actually work. You, on the other hand, being the brilliant strategist that you are, foresee some practical problems. The more you think about it, the more you are convinced that the plan will fail and fail miserably. What do you do?
You could: a) Purse your lips and hold your silence and let your boss' idea die a slow but natural death; b) Tell him, very politely, keeping a distance of at least eight feet (after checking for any sharp objects that might be used as hastily-improvised projectiles) that his plan is bound to fail and then when it does, gleefully say `I told you so'; or c) Wait for the right moment to suggest the possibility of doing it a different way.
The advantage with option c, apart from the fact that we endorse it, is that it is likely to be the most effective strategy of the three. Never tell a boss that he is wrong. But if you have to do something of the sort, whether it is to feed the cravings of your conscience or the practical purpose of your purse, do it thus:
Choose your words carefully: It is all in how you phrase it. Instead of saying, "I don't think your idea is going to work", say "I think that is a stellar idea. The way you have conceptualised it is great. However, I wasn't clear about this point here... "
Do it one-on-one: In private. Some bosses may like washing their dirty linen in public, but few if any like it when others do it for them. Ask for permission before you launch into your discussion.
Have some suggestions handy: Remember what you are trying to do is give feedback, and no feedback is complete without suggestions. In fact, if you don't give suggestions what you will end up doing (at least in the boss' eyes) is criticising him. And unless you have another job offer in your kitty, you'd be best advised to avoid being perceived like that
Keep your emotions out of it: Stay cool, stay calm, and stay level-headed. Try not to be argumentative or judgemental. Try harder not to appear argumentative or judgemental. Stick to facts, and use phrases like `It might be better if we reconsidered this aspect of... '
The bottom line, of course, as we have said before, is that the boss is always right. And if current trends are anything to go by, he will continue to be right for a long time to come. The best you can do is to show him how much more right he will be if he follows your suggestions. When it comes to bosses, words play a huge role in how they will respond to you, so choose them carefully. Very carefully. And only if you really have to.
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