How can you give constructive criticism to your boss so that he can accept it?
Once I witnessed a very unusual dialogue between a boss and his subordinate. The unusual thing was that it was not the boss who scolded his employee, but, on the contrary, the subordinate - the boss. If strangers entered the room, they would undoubtedly take another person for the boss. At the same time, the dialogue did not take place in a raised voice. Just one reasonably showed the other his mistakes and suggested ways to resolve problem situations.
You probably thought that the boss was weak of character and did not enjoy special respect in the team, if he allowed him to talk to him like that. And in vain. The situation was just the opposite - our boss was a leader in every sense of the word.
After this situation, I wondered, what allowed our employee to behave this way and feel good at the same time? It would be logical to assume that this employee was able to invest in this dialogue something that allowed him to neutralize the negative consequences from the situation of criticism of the boss, which would be natural in such a situation.
I propose to sort out these nuances together and, if necessary, use our observations in life. To do this, we will immediately turn our observations into practical advice:
The first thing that caught the eye in this situation was the respectful attitude of the subordinate to the boss. You can point out a mistake respectfully, or you can arrogantly put yourself in the position of a teacher.
So, the first rule of constructive criticism of the boss is: "Communicate respectfully."
The indications of mistakes were not only respectful, but moreover contained in themselves praise. It is difficult to imagine right away, but the following phrases were heard: "You could not achieve … although very few people except you could do and prepare in these conditions …".
Therefore, the second rule: "Even in criticism, show the boss's unique contribution to resolving this situation."
The criticism was immediately followed by clear suggestions on how to remedy the situation. And these were not only indications of what the boss needed to do, but, to a greater extent, indications of what this employee and his colleagues could do.
Thus, the third rule: "Immediately offer constructive ways to resolve disputes."
As a result of the implementation of all ideas, a picture was drawn that was desirable for the boss and the team as a whole, namely, the prosperity of the department.
And in the end, the fourth rule will be: "Show the desired picture for the boss and his team of the prosperity of his business."
