How to Argue with Your Boss
Before you argue with your boss, check with the boss's secretary to determine his mood. If he ate nails for breakfast, it is not a good idea to ask him for something. Even without the boss's secretary, they are keys to timing: don't approach the boss when he's on deadline; don't go in right before lunch, when he is apt to be distracted and rushed; don't go in just before or after he has taken a vacation.
If you're mad, that will only make your boss mad. Calm down first. And don't let a particular concern open the floodgates for all your accumulated frustration. The boss will feel that you think negatively about the company and it is hopeless trying to change your mind. Then, maybe he will dismiss you.
Terrible disputes can result when neither the employer nor the employee knows what is the problem the other wants to discuss. Sometimes the fight will go away when the issues are made clear. The employee has to get his point across clearly in order to make the boss understand it.
Your boss has enough on his mind without your adding more. If you can't put forward an immediate solution, at least suggest how to approach the problem. People who frequently present problems without solutions to their bosses may soon find they can't get past the secretary.
To deal effectively with a boss, it's important to consider his goals and pressures. If you can put yourself in the position of being a partner to the boss, then he will be naturally more inclined to work with you to achieve your goals.
EXERCISE:
1. Paragraph 2____
2. Paragraph 3____
3. Paragraph 4____
4. Paragraph 5____
A Keep your voice low all the time
B Put yourself in the boss's position
C Propose your solution
D Don't go in when you are angry
E Make the issue clear
F Never give in
5. If you want to ask the boss for anything, it is important to find out first ______.
6. It is necessary to make clear to the boss _____.
7. It is not wise to present the boss with a problem _____.
8. You must be considerate and think of the troubles _____.
A to give the boss your advice
B how he is feeling
C the boss may have
D what you really want to talk to him about
E without suggesting a way to solve it F how unhappy you are
F how unhappy you are
KEY: D E C B B D E C
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