Sharing Controversial Opinions at Work
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Working within a company isn’t always a kumbaya experience. People on your team will not always agree. This should be expected as it can be very hard to get even just two people on the same page.
However, this doesn’t mean you should give up pushing for your ideas, especially when you’re passionate about it and you believe it will benefit the company in the long run.
Business is a game of making judgements, planning, executing, learning from mistakes and then starting that process all over again.
As such, so much of how we approach business and working, is rooted in our unique ways of seeing the world. Meaning, our own unique ways of making judgements, planning, executing, learning from mistakes and then starting that process all over again. Therefore, our past experiences will heavily dictate how we make future decisions.
In the face of this, you have to think through how you can win the favor of one or more team members who may approach a work topic or project in a different way from you.
Here are eight tips for sharing controversial or opposing opinions at work:
Assess the power dynamics at play
If you’re entering a debate with a coworker — reflect on how your roles relate to each other in the organization. This helps you to manage your expectations of the outcome of your debate.
For example, if you have a difference of opinion from your boss, you should absolutely express it with the best you’ve got, supporting your ideas with reason, examples and data. However, don’t be surprised if your boss chooses another way. Your boss may be gathering ideas from many places. If they hold the power to make a decision, then you have to respect when they use it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep coming back with other ideas.
Center on business goals
If you have a controversial opinion at work, expect that folks will not necessarily understand where you’re coming from, especially if your idea seems off the wall. One way to get folks on the same page as you, is to seek alignment on shared business goals.
As a result, you must strive to make it clear to people why your idea will meet the shared business objective and what the benefits of doing it your way would be. For example, will your approach get the company to the goal faster, cheaper, more efficiently or humanely? These are all things that you should speak to.
Support your ideas with data
If you have data that supports your point of view, be sure to use it. This can come in the form of actual experience, the outcomes of past projects or research. You should expect folks to have questions about why you think what you think. Supporting your ideas with data is a great way to explain your reasoning.
Be an active listener
When we have an opinion about how a project should be approached that goes against the grain of what everyone is thinking, communication skills can make the difference between a slam-dunk and a pass. Remember that good communication requires that you also be a good listener. Controversial or not, being a good listener applies to any conversation. Active listening is the “way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding” (United States of Institute of Peace). In fact, deeply considering other points of view and concerns can only help you refine your ideas.
For example, if you find that a colleague that you disagree with is trying to address a particular pain-point, be sure to speak to this pain-point when you present your ideas. This helps colleagues know that they have been heard.
Here are a few tips for being an active listener (United States of Institute of Peace):
Maintain eye contact
Restate what the other person is saying to show you understand their position
Let the other person speak without interrupting
Ask open-ended questions when you don’t fully understand their position
Use neutral phases when engaging in a controversial conversation
If you feel that the conversation is becoming heated, practice using neutral phrases. These types of statements will let the other person know you respect their opinions despite the fact that you disagree.
Psychology Today provides these examples of neutral phrases you can use when a conversation begins to go sour:
“I hear you.”
“I know what you mean.”
“I understand.”
“That’s definitely worth talking about.”
“I’m sure we could talk for hours about that. Well, I need to get back to work.”
Be firm in your position, but keep it friendly and laidback
While the term “controversial” can be off-putting to many, it doesn’t have to be. You can introduce a controversial topic to your workplace in a lighthearted way. If you establish a safe and open-minded space for your co-workers to chime in with your opinions, you’re more likely to have a healthy debate that leaves people with great insights rather than unneeded tension.
Sometimes you have to let an idea fail
Say you've fought tooth and nail for your idea to lead the way, and important stakeholders are still not budging. As frustrating as this may be, it is very common. After a certain point, you have to defer to the decisions of your boss and follow any directives given to you anyway. As long as these directives don’t violate any of your personal ethics, you are still, as an employee, required to follow workplace instructions.
In the back of your mind, you may know that their idea will get worse results, but sometimes folks need to see their idea fail in order to start considering other options. Likely, you’ll work on a similar project again in the future and you can refer to weak points of past idea implementation to support a new approach.
Establish a boundary and your why
Some workplace disagreements are easy enough to brush off. However, if there are chronic disagreements that go against your values, you may consider leaving the workplace to find a culture that works better for you. Some workplaces are not progressive and shun new ideas and experimentation. While some folks have a tolerance for this, others have a need for experiences that center on innovation and creative ideas.
It’s up to you to decide what your boundary is for this.
In tandem, establishing your “why” can help you recenter yourself in an uninspiring work situation. Perhaps a lack of innovation culture is not your preference, but there’s a personal or professional reason you’re sticking with a job. That’s perfectly valid.
It is not always easy to convince colleagues or your boss that your ideas are worth trying. The tips here can help you become stronger at advocating for your ideas in the workplace. In general, start small. Start by tweaking the other ideas on the table. As your success builds, so will your confidence. If you ultimately decide to pursue other roles, these small successes will stillbe an advantage for you.