How to Tell the Boss That He Is Wrong?

When we join a company, we must be able to handle any kind of co-workers. One among them is the Boss or the Supervisor. Their role at the office sometimes is that of a controlling type personality as they want to crave the power it gives them.

In a company, there are situations where everyone makes mistakes; as no one is perfect every time. Sometimes even your boss goes wrong while taking right decisions. At that time it is the duty of the subordinate to tell that he or she is taking a wrong decision. Before you give any suggestions you must first gain the trust of your boss and make him feel that you are a trusted guide.

Here are five ways suggested by Anand Altekar from Economic Times, on how to tell the boss that he is wrong:

Be diplomatic
While telling your boss that he is wrong, try to be diplomatic. If your boss has gone wrong in taking any sought of a decision, there is no need to point out his mistake in front of everyone and make him feel embarrassed. Make sure you will talk to him personally or by phone and figure out his mistake in a very careful way so that he understands your point of view. Siddharth Tamhankar, Senior QA Engineer at Cybage Software said that whenever such a situation comes, he will first make sure that he will only speaks what he thinks about the mistake and he will never say that others are of the same opinion at any point of time, as it may lead to further arguments.

Be Confident on your opinion
Whenever you are suggesting an opinion to your boss, always be confident on your thoughts. Before telling your opinion, always double check your thoughts and once you are sure about it, don't waste any time to tell it in front of your boss. Be positive about your judgement. Josy Paul, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer at BBDO, is of the opinion that in their company they always encourage spontaneity and as long as it is for the company's benefit, he thinks it really don't matter from who the advice comes from. He also said that when his juniors are honest without any fear on their thinking, he will be more responsive.

Empathize with your boss
Empathizing with your boss allows you to be more productive and creative. But always admit your boss' authority and remember that you are there only to give suggestions, so don't try to dominate your conversation with him. Your agenda must only be for the betterment of the company and focus on that mistake that will have on the business.

Start your conversation on a positive note
While you start discussing with your boss, start your conversation with a positive note by asking his permission to speak. Compliment to his approach as this will add a positive tone to your feedback. This kind of positive approach helps to build your conversation much more constructively. While you are conversing with him, make him understand that you are not just pointing out on his mistakes but also you are trying to improve his strategy in a better way and make sure he accepts your point of view for some extent and thinks your views are valuable.

Have an open minded attitude
When you go on to suggest your boss about any decisions that he has to take, be open minded and don't start your conversation in an unhealthy manner as it may result in an unproductive argument.

When you suggest, always think it as your responsibility and don't carry the high expectations that he will agree whatever you tell. So, be open minded whenever you suggest your boss and don't get aggressive if he drops down your suggestion.