SolveYourProblem Series: Assertiveness
I Want To Be More Assertive!

How To Be Assertive At Work

There is a danger with assertiveness in the workplace on both sides of the coin. Those who are too passive run the risk of not getting their voices heard or having others receive credit for their work. A lack of assertiveness can be easily confused with laziness. On the flip side too much assertiveness in the workplace can make one seem unapproachable or worse, disliked among co workers. People who are too assertive often miss out on opportunities to learn from others because they never let anyone else voice their opinions.

Assertive people can be labeled aggressive if they do not handle themselves appropriately. To be assertive without being labeled aggressive you will have to learn how to communicate with your co workers, subordinates, and superiors in a non threatening yet still confident manner.

The first thing that you need to learn is how to respect all opinions, including your own. An assertive person does not assume that what they have to say does not matter or has probably been tried already.

An assertive person also allows others to feel this way by placing value on their ability and ideas. As a leader you should make yourself accessible to your employees in a sincere way. Almost all bosses say they have an open door policy but they do not all follow through on that idea in their words an actions.

Equally, as a subordinate you have to find the right tone to voice your ideas so your superior is confident it is worth listening to during their busy workday.

You have rights at work, everyone does, but not everyone asserts those rights in an effective manner. Those who do not wind up losing out on opportunities to move up and make more money.

Some of these rights include the right to be treated with respect, which as previously mentioned also means treating others with respect. You also have the right to a reasonable workload. This means you have the right to say no to extra work, especially that which does not come with extra pay.

Far too often in the workplace we find ourselves taking on a bigger load then is reasonable out of fear of being downsized. The problem of course is it leave you feeling overloaded and resentful. Often, you will feel anger towards your superiors for giving you the extra work and toward your co workers for not doing their fair share.

What you might not realize is that others are doing what is fair by being assertive and saying no to more than they can reasonably handle. A passive person might find that even when they do everything that is asked they are still skipped over for advancement. A co-worker who has assertive communication skills may be promoted instead.

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by SolveYourProblem.com : 2011

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