When dealing with a 'moderate' boss, you need to learn these 5 tricks

In the workplace, we will hear many people complaining: the company's environment is very complicated, when he needs the boss's support very much in certain situations, he finds it difficult for the boss to stand up for him; When there is conflict between departments, the boss often does not want to face the conflict, so he transfers the whole conflict resolution to himself.

Many people find this situation difficult to deal with and do not know how to push their bosses to reach a decision.

Some of the techniques shared in this article come from a very classic article in the Harvard Business Review Pocket Business School Series. In response to the above predicament, the article proposes five ways to help you turn it around.

one

Make it easier for your boss to accept impending conflict

If your boss is defensive and conflict-averse, that doesn't mean you have to put up with him forever. When problems arise, try to persuade your boss in the best interests of the company as much as possible.

Try your best to promote first, and give him some hints: if the situation is not good, how to deal with the problem. For example, what if our printers continue to have quality issues? Then you see if this is a good idea, and I plan to start researching other options.

Use this type of communication to gently guide your boss, so your boss will be confident that you are working toward a common goal with him, rather than pushing him into a position of stress alone.

two

Be sure to focus your attention on problem solving

If your boss is a conflict-averse person, he will be afraid to face some of the problems of communicating with people. In the process of solving the problem, it must be the right thing and not the person, which helps to create a neutral atmosphere. When faced with a problem, you can come up with specific solutions. For example, if you find that your weekly meeting has turned into a weekly meeting where everyone complains, then instead of telling your boss about complaining, you can directly make a suggestion: "Boss, if you want our weekly meeting It’s more efficient, I can help you collect everyone’s questions in advance and make an outline, do you think this is good?” Put forward your solution directly, so that your boss may be more willing to face this conflict.

three

Gather supporting evidence before conflict

If you want your boss to use his authority in a way that helps you, be sure to provide him with all the material he needs, such as a draft idea and relevant data, or a specific plan and goals for what you want to do.

A manager of a company felt very stressed when his subordinates pressed him for a higher budget. So this subordinate did a lot of backup work. He clarified the responsibilities of each member of the team, made a very clear cost settlement, and at the same time explained very clearly how a higher budget can achieve results. In the end, his boss went to the top of the company with more confidence and asked for the budget.

Four

Use written communication whenever possible

If your boss is facing conflict and is reluctant to communicate face-to-face, you can email him or write a high-level report outlining the current status of the project and development expectations, so that your boss can By not having to write these documents himself, it will be easier for him to have some productive communication.

Summary reports can also help bosses who face business conflicts and risks to foster greater teamwork. If his cover-up of differences prevents your team from expressing different opinions, you can chat with team members privately. If they also feel that your boss has suppressed some necessary disputes in order to maintain harmony, you can In a one-on-one conversation, raise this question directly with your boss. You can suggest to him, "Our team sometimes has a little argument that can actually help stimulate team creativity. For this type of discussion, set some ground rules to ensure that we discuss constructive results. "

You can even make some very valuable meeting minutes for your boss to refer to as your team is having this kind of contentious discussion.

five

Be sure to go step by step!

If you feel that a certain conversation made your boss feel embarrassed and unpleasant, then you must remember that the next time you must not jump into the subject like this, you can use some neutral, non-threatening topics, slow down Break the ice slowly. You can even start with a common topic that everyone is interested in. When you feel that he is relaxed, you can gradually cut into conflicting topics.

For the above five points, if you slowly apply them at work and keep improving your skills, I believe that when you communicate with your boss who is afraid of conflict, it will become smoother and smoother.