--- title: How to Disagree With Your Boss description: Find out four strategies on how you can respectfully disagree with your boss without seeming annoying or cocky. canonical: https://time.com/4785945/respectfully-disagree-boss/ author: The Muse article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-05-19T14:23:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:03:19.796Z og:title: How to Respectfully Disagree With Your Boss og:description: You can push back in a thoughtful way og:url: https://time.com/4785945/respectfully-disagree-boss/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt121df621122c018a/6988ce0dab6d7757076ae2eb/disagree-with-your-boss.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5123 og:image:height: 2882 og:image:alt: Businesswomen glaring at each other in office og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Respectfully Disagree With Your Boss twitter:description: You can push back in a thoughtful way twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt121df621122c018a/6988ce0dab6d7757076ae2eb/disagree-with-your-boss.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Respectfully Disagree With Your Boss > Sponsored content. 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Social Media - it's the easiest way to update all your friends quickly and in one place. You may want to announce that you got a new job online but should make sure you know to do it professionally first._ by [Jim Morris / The Muse](https://time.com/author/the-muse/) ## Jim Morris / The Muse May 19, 2017 2:23 PM UTC Social Media - it's the easiest way to update all your friends quickly and in one place. You may want to announce that you got a new job online but should make sure you know to do it professionally first. by [Jim Morris / The Muse](https://time.com/author/the-muse/) ## Jim Morris / The Muse May 19, 2017 2:23 PM UTC People often fear that if they [disagree with their boss](https://www.themuse.com/advice/how-to-disagree-with-your-boss-without-getting-fired) they’ll get fired. But as a manager, let me reassure you that unless you do something extreme (like use NSFW language or publish a blog about what an idiot I am), odds are you won’t be let go for the sheer act of saying you see things differently. In fact, the most common complaint I hear from managers I work with—and have felt myself—is quite the opposite. We _want_ feedback from our employees. We hired you because we believe in you and your ideas, so keeping them a secret isn’t helping either of us. Now, to be fair, you want to pushback in a way that makes you look helpful and thoughtful—and not like a know-it-all. And I know what you might be thinking now, is that possible? Yes, especially if you know the four most common thoughts managers have when you disagree with them. ## 1\. “I Wish You’d Done Your Homework—First” Give me the benefit of the doubt when you learn about something that sounds wrong to you. Ask yourself, “What are the valid reasons my boss may have made this decision?” before building a case to argue with me. Before correcting me, put yourself in my shoes for just a minute. If I feel like you’ve considered why I might think or feel the way I do, it’s easier for me to listen to your ideas. Disagreeing with me is the easy part, recommending a better solution is the hard part. This means that before you get to the constructive criticism, mention the merits of your boss’ approach. For example: “I can see where this would help us make our process more efficient, but I’m concerned about having enough time to do good work, so what if we adjusted \[different\] part of process?” **_Read More:_** [**_5 Phrases Your Boss Is Dying to Hear You Say_**](https://www.themuse.com/advice/5-phrases-your-boss-is-dying-to-hear-you-say) ## 2\. “Why Didn’t You Tell Me This Earlier?” Frankly, I hear complaints and observations about my job all the time—including from my boss and our customers. I most appreciate hearing from you when I’ve made a decision you don’t like that applies directly to your job. In fact, don’t wait to be asked. If my decision impacts you on a daily basis, let me know immediately. While I may stand by my decision even if you disagree with it, I want to know how you feel. With that said, it’s helpful to remember that everyone has something they’d do differently if they were the boss. So share feedback that’ll help you do your job better (or be happier), but keep thoughts on nitpicky things that don’t impact you to yourself. **_Read More:_** [**_3 Moves Smart People Make When They Get a New Boss_**](https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-moves-smart-people-make-when-they-get-a-new-boss) ## 3\. “Please Mind Our Surroundings” It could be that our one-on-one check-ins are characterized by robust discussion and occasional disagreement—and that’s great. However, that doesn’t mean that you can always take that approach when voicing a differing opinion. If it’s during a staff meeting, remember that your colleagues are watching and set an example for them about how to challenge me. If we are with a client, I’ll be the most sensitive to you publicly disagreeing with me—not because my ego can’t take it, but because I don’t want the customer to lose faith in our organization. So if you’re not sure how the client will react when you correcting me, hold off on doing so until we are alone. **_Read More:_** [**_8 Questions You Should Be Asking Your Boss_**](https://www.themuse.com/advice/8-questions-you-should-be-asking-your-boss) ## 4\. “If I Stick to My Decision, I Expect You to Support It” If I hear you out but stick to the original plan, it doesn’t mean I wasn’t listening. More often than not, it means I’m considering factors that are external to your role, and that you may not be aware of. (For all you know, my boss’ boss told me to do it this way!) I’m not looking for a team of “yes” people who never speak up. But I am looking for employees who trust me enough that if I push back on feedback, it’s for a good reason—and if they don’t support the plan, they’ll support me by going along with it anyhow. The final thing I’ll confess is that sometimes I’d just like my employees to do what I’ve asked. It’s exhausting (for both of us!) if I have to defend every single decision, plus it makes me feel like you have no faith in my judgment. If you’re still unsure whether it’s a good [battle to pick](https://www.themuse.com/advice/pick-your-battles-3-questions-to-ask-before-disagreeing-at-work), ask me. Say: “Are you open to a different opinion on this?” and give me the choice of opening it up for discussion. I’ll tell you whether it’s a good time to share a differing opinion, or if, this time, it’s better to let it go. _This_ [_article_](https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-thoughts-that-go-through-your-boss-head-when-you-disagree-with-her) _originally appeared on_ [_TheMuse.com_](http://themuse.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4785945/respectfully-disagree-boss/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4785945/respectfully-disagree-boss/"},"headline":"How to Respectfully Disagree With Your Boss","datePublished":"2017-05-19T14:23:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-08T09:03:19.796Z","description":"You can push back in a thoughtful way","url":"https://time.com/4785945/respectfully-disagree-boss/","keywords":["motto","career","career advice","boss"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt121df621122c018a/6988ce0dab6d7757076ae2eb/disagree-with-your-boss.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jim Morris / The Muse"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt121df621122c018a/6988ce0dab6d7757076ae2eb/disagree-with-your-boss.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Businesswomen glaring at each other in office","caption":"Businesswomen glaring at each other in office","creditText":"JGI/Jamie Grill—Getty Images/Blend Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4785945/respectfully-disagree-boss/","name":"How to Respectfully Disagree With Your Boss"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Right Way to Announce Your New Job MONEY","description":"Social Media - it's the easiest way to update all your friends quickly and in one place. 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