Override the overrides
Is your boss constantly overriding your decisions? Don't just accept it: find out why they're doing it, and how you can make it stop.
If you’re constantly being overruled, ask your boss why. Don’t do this immediately after a decision’s been made: you, or they, might be feeling angry or frustrated, and your conversation won’t go as well as it might.
Say something like, “I’ve noticed that you and me are disagreeing about a lot of the decisions I’m making, and I’d like to understand what’s driving that so I can improve.”
You might be missing something important about how your boss operates, their expectations, or the pressure they’re under. Use the opportunity to ask questions of them in an open, non-defensive way: * Am I bringing enough information to help explain why I made the decision I did? * Am I making the right assumptions about the impact of the decision? * Is this the right time to be making this type of decision?
When to take this action
This action is from 'Overruled' and should be used when you've made a big decision, when you're making a big decision, when your boss is too hands-on, when your boss makes all the decisions
Need something else?
personal-development
Are you always the decider?
Don't let your personal relationships colour your decision making: use data to keep yourself honest.
one-to-ones
Keep your HIPPO in check
Hippos are dangerous in the wild and in the workplace. Keep yours in check by exploring decisions before you overrule them.
one-to-ones
Feedback on your feedback
It's useful to know how your team feel about your feedback and intervention in their decision making. What do they think you could do better?
with-your-boss
Challenge your decisions
Structured critique of your own decisions is useful too. Make sure you're getting it