The hands-down winner for the most difficult criticism encounter at work—whether it is a Fortune 500 company, small business, government organization, hospital, or just about any other work environment—is, ''How do you criticize your boss?''
The solution, of course, varies across bosses and situations, but you will give yourself a head start if you rid yourself of the belief that if you criticize your boss, you will suffer negative repercussions. Indeed, this perception is what most working folks say is the major barrier to criticizing their boss.
While it is true that this scenario plays out occasionally, it is the exception. Most bosses—especially the most effective ones—welcome criticism from their subordinates. What they do not like is being embarrassed, threatened, or undermined. For criticism that is packed with these qualities, negative repercussions become the norm. Obviously, perhaps more than any other work criticism encounter, successfully criticizing your boss depends not only on what you say but how you say it.
For openers, adhere to three major ground rules. The first is to make sure your boss is receptive to being criticized. While there are no absolute ways to do this, you can use some of the softer signs suggestive of his attitude about being criticized. Does he openly solicit criticism and act upon those criticisms that are valid? Is he open to change—do you see policies and procedures that are flexible and dynamic—or are things basically kept the same? Is he accessible to you, or does it take a formal meeting to spend some time? And what about his visibility—is his office door shut to keep out his staff, or is his door kept open to invite drop-ins? If you think your boss has low receptivity to criticism, you might be politically wise to learn how to adapt to the situation rather than attempt to change him.
If you think your boss is receptive to criticism, your next rule is to make sure it is appropriate to voice it. Here, recognize that the power structure of your organization must be honored. In other words, make sure the boss you are criticizing is your boss or your immediate supervisor. To criticize a superior whom you do not directly report to could be career hurting. If you need your criticism to reach this person, your strategy is to use your own boss to carry your message upward.
If your immediate boss stonewalls your criticism, you can proceed to go over her head, but make sure you inform and invite: ''Boss, I don't think we are making progress on this point. I am going to speak to Jane. Perhaps you would like to be there when I do.'' It's been my experience that such a statement usually evokes increased thoughtfulness about your point. If not, and your boss does attend your session with the next-higher authority, the senior superior can hear her comments and yours as to how the criticism can be resolved. It also gives the senior superior a chance to see how your boss responds to criticism.
Also make sure that you are criticizing your boss for something she is doing that affects your work; to criticize her for actions that do not impact your performance would be uncalled for; if you are not involved in the project, you cannot possibly know the details and motivation of the criticism.
For those situations in which you are not part of the project but the success of the project impacts your job, you will be able to still give your criticism, but only if you can demonstrate that the action your boss takes affects your job.
A sales rep for a cosmetic firm made use of this point when she criticized her boss's marketing plan for a new product. Although she had not been asked for her opinion, she approached her boss and said, ''I read the new marketing plan, and I noticed that the product was going to be targeted to my territory. As you know, my major clients buy products that cost fifteen dollars or less. The product costs twenty-five dollars. Also, my clients tend to go for hand creams and basic shampoos rather than glamour products. So besides the money issue, I'm not quite sure that the need will be there. If you want me to try to market it, I'll do my best, but I'm not sure we will be successful.'' Her boss, after reviewing the demographics of the sales rep's territory, agreed with her and changed her marketing plan in reference to the target area. Note that although the sales rep disagreed with her boss's plan, she indicated she would still give it her best effort. It is important to communicate to your boss that you will still follow the course he sets to the best of your ability—even if you disagree.
if you are set to criticize your boss, make sure you know what you are talking about. Remember, in most cases, your boss does not expect you to criticize her. This is a tough expectation to combat; therefore, it is essential for you to remember to validate your criticism. Otherwise, your boss may not only dismiss it but may begin to see you in a negative light, which no doubt will affect your job and your future ability to criticize her. Some ways for you to validate your criticism include collecting and analyzing data (if available); accurately documenting how your boss's actions affect your work; and, if possible, consulting with other people.
The third rule for criticizing your boss is perhaps the most important: Avoid a power struggle. You must be careful that the way you present your criticism does not threaten your boss's self-esteem or his job security. If it does, your boss is apt to become defensive, and you can almost always count on the fact that once you and your boss lock horns, he will come out on top. The results for you are that your criticism is rejected and the status quo is maintained. Thus, any strategy for criticizing your boss must protect his self-esteem and acknowledge, implicitly or explicitly, that he is the superior.
With these ground rules in mind, I have found two techniques that have proved to be consistent winners for criticizing your boss. The first is to present your criticism to your boss in a way that emphasizes the validity of the criticism per se. The point here is not to present yourself as a valid source of criticism but to present your criticism as important and valid information. You are maximizing the significance of the information rather than taking the position that you, the subordinate, know best.
Instead of coming on as a know-it-all, you present yourself as sharing valuable data that relate to both your jobs. Your superior, instead of having to accept or reject a criticism, is now in the face-saving position of merely having to evaluate the information you are supplying. If the information is valid, there is an excellent chance your superior will take action. Some ways you can build up the validity of your criticism are: citing authoritative sources, submitting supportive data, and showing reference material to your superior.
A data analyst for a financial institution used this technique in criticizing her department head for the computer system she was considering. Instead of telling her boss that she was choosing the wrong system or that she knew which one she should buy, the data analyst gave her boss several current reports that indicated another system would be more responsive to their needs. Her boss, after reading the articles, changed her choice and thanked her subordinate for supplying her with ''invaluable information.''
A second recommendation for criticizing your boss is to phrase the criticism as a request for help after you have strategically (Tip #2) thought of the way your boss can help you by responding to your criticism.
Instead of pointing out what your boss is not doing right or what she needs to be doing, explain to her that you are having a problem and don't know how to solve it. Of course, from your perspective, the problem is your boss's behavior, but to express it as such will probably elicit your boss's defensiveness and create a power struggle that you will inevitably lose.
Therefore, express the criticism in the form of a ''problem that I am having.'' The assumption is that your boss will recognize that the only way to help you is to change her own behavior. On the other hand, if your boss is able to help you solve the problem without changing her behavior, you still probably come out a winner because the situation has been changed for the better.
A secretary at an aerospace company used this technique with her boss, who had a habit of keeping her in the dark about his schedule. This made it difficult for her to set up appointments for him with his other subordinates and coworkers. Out of frustration, these people were continually pressing her to get them in to see her boss or at least to tell them when he was available. Her replying that she didn't know only intensified their anger. Furthermore, several times previously she had asked her boss for his daily schedule in advance and was rebuffed each time with ''I will let you know my schedule when I want to.''
At her wit's end, she approached her boss, stating that she had a problem and was wondering if he might be able to help her solve it. He became quite receptive, and she went on: ''I don't know what to tell your coworkers and clients when they ask me when you are available. When I keep saying I don't know, they get frustrated and angry and take it out on me. I don't know how to handle it. Do you have any suggestions?''
After thinking about it, her boss replied that the only answer he could come up with was for him to let her know of his availability. However, he could let her know only two days in advance. The secretary acknowledged that even knowing his availability a day in advance would be helpful and thanked him for helping her solve her problem. Although this was not the perfect solution, it was a significant improvement over the previous situation. In effect, she changed her boss's behavior by getting him to ''help'' her.
As another example, suppose your superior is chronically late in providing you with the data you need to function effectively. You can say, ''I'm having trouble running my department on those days when I don't have the weekly production figures. Can you give me some suggestions for improving this situation?'' If your criticism is valid, chances are your superior will solve the problem—and resolve the criticism—by meeting her deadlines more promptly.
Those of you who take this approach can expect good results for a few reasons. The first is that people tend to be more receptive and responsive to information when they hear it as a request rather than a demand. Criticism presented as a demand usually threatens the recipient's self-esteem. It is as if the criticizer is saying that he is superior and that his concerns are more valid. Defensiveness comes into play.
When you phrase the criticism as a request for help, you communicate several messages that increase your boss's receptivity. First, you communicate that you respect your boss because you are asking instead of telling. As respect is communicated, your boss's receptivity is increased. Next, and more cunning, is that you increase your boss's self-esteem by voluntarily taking the ''one-down position'' of asking for help. You are implying that you can't do something on your own when you say outright that you need your boss's help. This is a put-up message that confirms to your superior that she is still superior. More important, there's a good chance that this ego boost will motivate your boss to take productive action.
Asking for help not only lets your superior know that she is needed, but that you, her subordinate, believe in her ability to achieve results. To phrase this more elaborately, when you explicitly ask your boss for help, you implicitly tap into her need to be needed and her need to achieve. For most people, satisfying these needs is a powerful incentive to action; when you arouse these needs, you are almost guaranteed that your boss will try to satisfy them by helping you generate a solution. Given these implicit messages, taking the one-down position requires self-restraint on your part, but the payoff is worth the price.
What about the impossible bosses? For such bosses, subordinates must create and develop different criticism strategies, trying each until one is successful. Some possible solutions: When a stoic boss doesn't tell you where you stand, bring up the organization's goals as a basis for determining specific criteria for next year's performance rating, so ''together'' you can monitor your performance accordingly. If the boss is a crisis maker, develop a strong network of relationships with coworkers that will help you get the information you need to decide whether each crisis is real or manufactured. When the boss is overcontrolling, work out of the office a lot if possible, exaggerate procedural obstacles, and frequently reassure the boss that you are on target. If the boss is truly impossible, if he has a short temper, or if he never listens, then attempt to offer criticism only if you can be clever and creative. Gear your strategy to answering the fundamental question: ''How can I communicate this information so that my superior perceives it as useful?''
What is most important for you, the subordinate, to recognize is that the techniques for criticizing upward do not rely on direct, overt communication. The chain of command prohibits you from telling your superior that he's an idiot or that he made another foolish mistake, even if the superior says such things to you daily. Instead, to criticize upward and to create change at your superior's level, you must rely on informal relationships, timing, ambiguity, self-restraint, and implicit communication. Together, they give you and your boss the power of positive criticism.