????MPW內部網絡是一個邀請最有影響力的商界女性及時解答職業與領導力問題的在線社區。本周，我們的問題是：與老板產生意見分歧應該怎么辦？以下是懷斯曼集團總裁利茲?懷斯曼的回答。

????首先，我們要接受一個現實：不同意老板的意見是危險的。這就像告訴一個嬰兒他不能獲得自己想要的東西一樣。你的老板可能會大發脾氣，面露不悅，或者堅持己見。即便你贏得了爭論，你也是輸家。但如果你的老板執著于一個輕率的想法，而你卻沒有說出自己的想法，你就不可能成為一位有價值的專業人士或強有力的領導者。那么，到底應該怎么做？

????不要直接反對上級，要幫助他們考慮其他觀點——比如從新的角度來看待現狀，或通過不同的方式來達到老板的目的。只要不全盤否定老板的觀點，你就可以讓老板放下抵觸心理，從而能夠以一種更穩妥的方式來改變他們的想法。我媽媽（一位優秀的老師和校長）曾告訴我：“要給孩子們留一條出路——讓他們可以做正確的事情。”這句話同樣適用于高管。

????通過下列方法，你可以理性安全地幫助老板看到其他觀點：

????1. “是的，不過……”——菲利普?威爾森曾在史蒂夫?喬布斯的NEXT公司和拉里?埃里森的甲骨文公司（Oracle）擔任人力資源總監。當這些善變的領導者想要猛踩油門的時候，他常常要擔負起踩剎車的責任。但他不會直接說“不行”，而是學會了這樣回答：“是的，我們可以做到，不過可能產生的結果是……”這樣做可以讓雙方展開談話，使CEO能仔細考慮他的想法存在的缺點，并找出更好的解決方案。

????2. 提出問題——不要直接提出異議，可以問一些問題，幫助老板仔細考慮其想法的優點和缺點。詢問她的根本目標。只要你確定了她到底想要什么，你便可以與之討論能幫她達到目的的其他途徑。

????3. 后退一步，重新組織自己的意見——通過拿出時間來認真思考老板的想法，緩和雙方之間的緊張氣氛。作為高管教練，我的職責之一是幫助蘋果公司（Apple）的一位高層領導做好“應對史蒂夫的準備”，即準備好向史蒂夫?喬布斯匯報工作，這是一項棘手的任務！我與他分享了從蘋果公司其他成功領導者那里學到的經驗：當你和史蒂夫陷入僵局的時候，不要爭論。告訴他你需要時間認真思考一下他的想法，等回來的時候再提出一個新的方案。這種表明自己在傾聽和學習的態度，有助于誕生新的替代方案。

????4. 記住：老板可能是正確的。你不同意老板的想法，并不意味著他的想法一定是錯誤的。我在甲骨文擔任高管時，拉里?埃里森曾要求我將我的團隊規模減少350人，重新組建一個更小的團隊。這看起來是一個武斷且苛刻的決定。所以我后退了一步，重新組織了我的意見（獲得了其他高管的支持），然后重新與他進行協商，希望減少裁員人數。他同意了我的方案。最初，我被其他高管視為英雄。但后來，我發現公司的組織結構正在努力進行轉變，這時我才意識到，拉里是正確的。我真希望當初自己能慢一些提出反對意見，快一些了解他的立場。

????如果你不得不反對老板的意見，要保持理智，避免與老板針鋒相對地爭論。幫助老板考慮新的數據，得出新的結論。只要處理得當，他或她很快就能認同新的觀點。不要做只會用消極的喪氣話打擊別人的人，而要做更有價值的思想伙伴。相信不會有人對此提出反對意見吧！（財富中文網）

????譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

????MPW Insider is one of several online communities where the biggest names in business answer timely career and leadership questions. Today’s answer for: How do you disagree with your boss? is written by Liz Wiseman, President of Wiseman Group.

????Let’s face it; disagreeing with your boss is dangerous. And, it’s likely to go as well as telling a toddler that he can’t have something he wants. Your boss will probably throw an adult tantrum, pout, or dig in her heels. Even when you win, you lose. But, you can’t be a valuable professional or a strong leader yourself without speaking up when your boss is fixated on a hair-brained idea. So what do you do?

????Instead of disagreeing with higher ups, help them consider another point of view – perhaps a new way of looking at the situation or a different path to get what they want. By not outright disagreeing with them, you keep them out of defense mode and provide a safe way to change their minds. My mother (a brilliant teacher and school principal) once told me, “Always give kids a way out – a way for them to do the right thing.” The same is true for senior managers.

????Here are a few ways you can create intellectual safety and help people see another point of view:

????1. “Yes, and…” – Phil Wilson was the head of HR for both Steve Jobs at NEXT and Larry Ellison at Oracle – a role where he was often the one hitting the brakes while one of these mercurial leaders was hitting the gas. Rather than tell them “no,” he learned to respond with “Yes, we can do that, and here are some of the consequences…” It opened up a dialogue and allowed the CEO to think through the downsides of his own ideas and arrive at better solutions.

????2. Ask questions– Instead of dissenting, ask questions that help your boss think through both the upsides and downsides of her ideas. Ask about her fundamental objectives. Once you are clear on what she really wants, you can talk through alternative ways to help her get what she needs.

????3. Retreat and regroup– Diffuse the tension by taking time to think through the ideas more carefully. One of my assignments as an executive coach was to help a senior leader at Apple get “Steve ready,” meaning prepared to present to Steve Jobs, which was often tricky! I shared a strategy I had learned from other successful leaders at Apple: When you and Steve are at an impasse, don’t argue. Indicate that you need time to think through his ideas and come back with a new plan. This demonstration of listening and learning opens up new alternatives.

????4. Remember: the boss might be right– Just because you don’t agree with the boss’s idea doesn’t mean it’s wrong. When I was an executive at Oracle, Larry Ellison asked me to reduce my team by 350 people and then rebuild with a smaller team. This seemed arbitrary and harsh. I retreated, regrouped (gaining support from other executives) and then renegotiated to reduce our workforce by far fewer people. He agreed to my plan. Initially, I was considered a hero by the other executives. But, later when I saw the organization struggle to change, I realized Larry had been right. I wished I had been slower to disagree and faster to learn from his point of view.

????When you need to disagree with your boss, be savvy and avoid a head-to-head competition. Help your boss consider new data and arrive at new conclusions. When you’ve managed this well, the new point of view will quickly become his or her own. And, instead of being a Debbie Downer, you become a thought partner – a far more valuable role. And who can disagree with that?

????

????