Dear Work It Out,
What would you do if your boss (accidentally) added an error to your work after you submitted it and they should have fixed it? How do you solve it without making things awkward?
Likewise, how do you bring up difficult topics with your boss in general?
Fear of awkwardness
*
Dear ABA,
I have to admit, this is a tough needle to thread. How you approach it will depend a lot on your relationship with your boss and their personality. My answer assumes that your boss is a reasonable person and that you have a relatively good working relationship.
The good news is that you said this was an accident. We all make mistakes, even those of us tasked with finding the fault of others. Your boss isn’t trying to sabotage you and that’s the first thing you should keep in mind when talking to them.
This is an opportunity to work together towards a common goal: the accuracy of your work benefits both of you and makes you both look harmonious. Inaccuracy does the opposite. So treat this like you’re on the same team, not opponents.
There are a couple of ways I would deal with this. First, I would treat it as a personal development opportunity.
Ask to better understand your boss’s process by seeing the changes they’ve made to your work before moving on to any next step, whether that’s publicly posted somewhere or just sent to other people or groups in your company. From there, you get two benefits: the ability to learn from the tweaks they’re making to improve your own process (how you can shape it in your conversation), and the ability to ability to catch any errors.
If you get an error, how you handle it will be different depending on the error. If it’s a typo or a misspelled word, just change it. If you can’t change it yourself, tell them: “I noticed a small bug – can we change it before it breaks?”
Pointing it out without blaming may be enough to make them realize that they were the one just tinkering with that particular word and taking responsibility. Even if they don’t, bugs are still fixed.
If your boss makes an incorrect change, that’s when things can feel a little more awkward. Say, “I noticed this has changed from the draft I sent you, and I want to make sure I understand why,” then explain it differently from what you think is correct, like how. That way, you can work together to find out if they’ve made a mistake or believe they’re fixing something.
Hopefully you’re on the same page and again, things get fixed before the job goes to anyone else.
If this is a one-time or only a few occurrences, you should be perfectly fine with this procedure. If you find this happening over and over, or your boss isn’t willing to take an extra step in the process, it may be time for a more serious conversation.
And okay, yes, that can feel awkward. But if you have a sensible manager, they’ll understand that you’re just trying to make things better for both parties.
However, don’t go to them with a problem. Have the solution in mind before you raise the problem. That way, you’re not just giving them something to deal with, but you’re showing that you’ve thought about how to make things better for both of you and the work you’re doing together. presently.
These three steps effective approach to many of the difficult conversations you may need to have with your boss.
- Take it as an opportunity to develop yourself
- Solve problems with a collaborative mindset, just like you are teammates, not opponents
- Prepare potential solutions in advance
If you still feel uncomfortable seeing your boss in difficult situations, it may be time to find an ally. If there’s another manager on your team that you’re more comfortable talking to, get their insights on how to present your concerns to the manager.
Ultimately, being able to bring up difficult topics with your manager will be a boon for both of you, because you have the opportunity to work together to create a better working situation. If you can view these conversations through the lens of seeing them as an opportunity to build something great, then over time they will become less awkward.
Work it Out is Make It is a revived advice column for the conundrums of employment. Have a pressing career concern or question? Email me anonymously at [email protected]. Submissions can be edited for length and clarity.
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