How to Handle a Major Disagreement at Work

Sometimes, no matter the size of your company or your place in it, you disagree with the direction your company is headed, or you think a project is headed for disaster, or you don’t believe in a project you’ve been tasked with, and you must decide how to maneuver through the situation.

You can voice your disagreement or refuse to go with the flow, but you are risking your future with the company. There might be a better way to proceed.

Consider the following four steps when your confronted with a scenario or project that you don’t agree with in your job.

Do your research. It’s certainly possible you are wrong about the direction your business is taking or the project you’ve been asked to lead. Be sure to take your time and do the necessary research to understand how the decision was made to move forward and what it means. Talk to the decision-makers to gather more information. Then use all the data you’ve collected to reach your decision. If you still believe the decision is wrong move on the next step.

State your case. Meet with your supervisor or manager to present your case. Be clear and provide the reasoning behind your decision, including data that supports your opinion. Do not become angry or aggressive but calmly provide your reasoned opinion and move on.

Accept the outcome. Your appeal might be met with silence. Or you might receive some thanks, but your company or manager decides to move ahead with the previous decision. If that is the case, you need to accept the outcome and realize there might be factors influencing the decision that you are unaware of. You don’t need to like the decision or agree with it, but if you are planning to remain at your company you need to accept it without becoming bitter or angry that your opinion was not heeded.

Do your best work. This should go without saying but continue to strive to do your best work. Even if you believe a project is doomed to failure market conditions or customer needs could change and you could help turn a potential disaster into success by doing your best work and applying your skills and expertise to a situation or project that you initially disagreed with.

5 Tips to Collaborate Successfully

If you plan to be successful in your career you will need to effectively collaborate with others. Rarely are projects undertaken by one individual.

Some collaborations are sustainable and last for the long-term (think of the musical collaboration between the members of U2), while others start strong and burst into flames (think of the brothers in Oasis).

In order to make your collaboration a success pick partners with the following qualities (and be sure to exemplify the traits yourself): 

Open to new ideas. Close-minded individuals who already have all the answers seldom make good collaborators and likely never scored highly on “plays well with others” ratings on their report card. Curiosity for new ideas and new ways of thinking is imperative, along with the humility to recognize that you don’t have all the answers and can learn from others.

Good listener. Someone who is open to new ideas will strive to effectively listen to others and gain a new perspective and view on a situation. Practice active listening in order to fully understand the other person and the solution they propose.

Disagree effectively. One can disagree without being disagreeable. Successful collaborations need the freedom to differ without resorting to rude behavior or shouting. It is often through disagreement that real breakthroughs and solutions can be developed. Don’t be afraid of conflict but manage it constructively.

Reliable. Can you rely on the individuals you are collaborating with? Will they fulfill their responsibilities? Are they hard-working or will they leave work undone? These are questions you need answers to when it comes to selecting those you collaborate with.

Honesty and Respect. These are the basic traits you want in a collaborative partner and they should underlie who you are and how you interact with others. By developing honest and respectful collaborations you make it more likely your team will find effective solutions to the problems you encounter and create a successful and impactful project, product, or event.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Dare to Disagree

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In this video business leader Margaret Heffernan discusses the importance of conflict and disagreement to progress and challenges listeners to consider how this impacts how we do business and proceed in our work lives.

Watch the video below for more:

7 Ways to Disagree with Your Boss . . . Without Losing Your Job

Most managers don't want someone who will simply go along with everything they say. Most likely, they hired you for your expertise, knowledge, and the value you can bring to the team. However, just because they want your opinion, that does not mean you can speak it freely, however and whenever you want.

Remember, if you are not contributing to the organization then you become expendable and irrelevant. You just need to find the proper balance. These seven strategies will help you diplomatically and professionally voice your disagreements with your boss.

• Establish a dialog with your boss from day one. Clarify and adopt your boss' and the organization's goals, objectives, and priorities. Ask your boss how they prefer to receive ideas or concerns. Be prepared by being informed.
• Back your concerns or ideas with facts. Do your research and come to the discussion about your disagreement backed with measurable value that can be attained by making modifications to policy or procedure that you are proposing.
• Don't approach disagreements head-on. Use "what if" scenarios or say "Can I make a suggestion?"  This approach is much less contentious and less likely to put your boss on the defensive.
• Pick your battles. Before you air a disagreement, ask yourself: Is this worth the effort and potential conflict? If you see the company losing money or going against its values and you want to air a concern, that is valid. However, don't nitpick.
• Carefully choose your battleground. There is an appropriate time and place to bring up a disagreement with your boss. In a meeting with a large group or with your boss' boss is not the best place. During crunch time of a critical deadline that is stressing your boss out is not the best time. You may have to wait, but the reception will be much more positive.
• Never disagree with the sole motivation of promoting yourself. If you can not honestly state a reason that the disagreement will help the company better attain its goals, then you should not air the issue. Disagreeing just to be noticed is not the best way to get ahead.
• Know when to throw in the towel. There will be battles that you can not win, no matter how well you present your case. Be diplomatic and walk away once your boss has made the decision. Never look back and say "I told you so."