How to tell Your Boss He's Wrong without Being Afraid of Retaliation

When you know your job and you know you're good at it, it's not hard to get into conflicts fueled by different opinions. While this is not critical (it might even be constructive) when it involves colleagues, the situation is different when you and your boss end up having different point of views.

So, what happens in this context? Do you simply give up and back down as you don't want to fight with your boss and suffer the consequences? Or do you fight for your opinion and try to prove to your boss and the rest of your team that you are right? If you opt for the letter you also embrace the consequences that might derive from your acts and words.
But wouldn't it be great if you could make the best out of both scenarios and stick to your vision without harming the other person and putting your job at risk?

Is it possible to openly contradict your boss without suffering any type of retaliation?
The answer is 'it depends' and it mainly depends on what type of person your boss is. If you're lucky and you work for an educated and open-minded person, you will probably be able to tell him or her that they are simply not right this time and they should trust you and your expertize. If your boss puts the well-being of his business above his personal ego, he should not take opposite opinions personally. Moreover, he should appreciate the feedback regardless weather he'll really apply it or not.

However, not everybody works in a company where proactivity and individuality are appreciated. If your boss is the type of person who expects everyone to bow in front of him, convincing him that he's wrong and you're right might lead to critical results. It's not easy to talk about any topic to such a person, let alone contradict them?

If your opinion is critical and you are positive that fighting for it is worth it, there are 2 aspects you should take into account while presenting your perspective:

1. Choose the right words and tone of voice.
   A calm tons, a respectful and professional approach can disarm even the worst boss. Act with tact and keep a cool attitude even if your boss tends to become irritated as you discuss.

2. Rely on fact and not emotions

When we tell someone that they are wrong, we hurt them as they think we disregard their opinion and consider them less valuable than ours. In other words, we trigger certain negative emotions in these people. However, in a work discussion, especially a conflictual one, we have to appeal less to emotions and stick to the facts.

Give your boss strong arguments that are backed by reliable data to support your opinion. Try to persuade him to follow your lead by showing him numbers, actual examples and real evidence and try to avoid hypothetical scenarios and vague information.

Finally, the most powerful argument is money. Tell your boss why your opinion matters in terms of loss and profit. He might not like listening to you or anyone else, but he definitely likes losing money even less.

Images: www.pixaby.com