Raising Issues at Work
Do you sometimes WISH you could say something to a colleague, but you don't know how?
Perhaps someone on your team does something that frustrates you, annoys you, or gets in the way of you doing your job.
But...raising difficult topics takes courage, and isn't easy. It can often feel more comfortable to NOT say anything, not rock the boat, and instead to just 'let it go'. The problem is that, over time, this can lead to resentments, breakdowns in communication, and even wanting to leave.
It can be even more tricky if the person in question is your manager, a friend outside of work, or someone who is known to get upset or angry.
A lot of it is to do with fear:
Fear of rejection
Fear of conflict
Fear of uncomfortable feelings
Fear of an unpredictable response
...so, talking it through first with someone who is completely separate can be a great help.
Then, when it comes to raising the issue, the MOST important thing is to PAVE THE WAY for the conversation. If you raise the subject out of the blue, unprovoked, OR if it comes out 'in the moment', this is likely to backfire. Instead, by paving the way through saying something like:
☑️ "I'd really like to have a chat with you about something that is important to me. Can we please talk later?" ☑️
...this shows that you respect the other person; that this is important; and that you want to resolve it amicably without falling out.
After all - if someone wanted to raise something difficult with you, wouldn't you want to be given the heads-up in advance yourself?
Starting with a respectful tone will go a long way towards making the experience more productive, and can remove one aspect of what is making you nervous.
