Just ask… but do some preparation first
“If you have questions, just ask.”
We’ve all had bosses say that. But when you do ask them a question, they’re frustrated or impatient.
What gives?
Here’s the deal:
You can ask your boss anything—but ask yourself first.
When you ask your boss a question, you might notice they usually have follow-up questions. Proactively ask yourself those questions first.
And if you do still need to ask, what you ask will be much clearer once you’ve thought about it yourself.
For example, you might want to ask, “Do you approve using this software in our tech stack?” or “Do you approve this updated packaging?”
Your boss might reply with:
“What’s the context? Is it the only option on the market?”
“Is it the same one we’ve been using?”
“Do you have examples to show me side by side?”
“Is there a reason we are exploring something new?”
“What’s the cost difference?”
“Do we trust this provider?”
Your boss isn’t trying to grill you for fun. Most of these questions stem around wanting to make a well-informed decision. If you can ask yourself the questions they’d ask you, you can dramatically shorten the back-and-forth process and get work done faster.
Say this:
“Do you approve X? I recommend it relative to [A, B, C] options because [rationale and thought process]. The risk is [D] but we can mitigate it with [E].”
On a related note, it’s okay if you don’t have all the answers.
It’s totally okay to say, “I don’t have an answer for that. That’s why I’m coming to you.”
The key is to avoid being a lazy thinker who asks the same flurry of one-off questions every time. Think about how your lessons can be applied to similar situations in the future.
Over time, you’ll know how to resolve more and more issues yourself.
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