The most effective leaders are not those who scare and intimidate their employees but rather the people who know how to win people’s support and make them work together as a team. Assertive behavior is critical when pursuing and achieving your goals in the workplace. Unlike other forms of communication, it is a healthy and diplomatic way to express yourself and can advance your career. Moreover, assertiveness is also an essential tool in management and leadership, making you appear confident and able to set clear professional boundaries within the workplace. Also, being assertive can help you act and perform more professionally. Ultimately, it requires leaders and employees to practice and developing assertiveness skills to achieve better performance and professionalism in business. Therefore, the skill of assertiveness can be defined by the following saying: “Severity without violence and gentleness without leniency.”
Steps to develop assertiveness skills in the workplace
1. Develop self-confidence
Self-confidence helps people feel comfortable advocating for themselves rather than being guided by the opinions of others. Developing self-confidence is also crucial to learning assertiveness. Also, as a successful business leader, thinking about your goals and why you deserve to achieve them can help you feel more confident about your skills and abilities. Knowing that your feelings, needs, rights, and contributions are just as important as anyone else’s helps you become more confident and assertive.
2. Talk confidently about needs
Being an assertive leader helps you and your team succeed. It can also make you more comfortable and enable you to speak confidently about your needs. Don’t hesitate to communicate your needs; this helps you perform to your maximum potential and contributes to the organization’s success. If you feel like you’re missing something you need to be successful, speak up and clarify your needs, and remember to follow up to make sure they’re being met.
3. Controlling behavior
Sometimes, being assertive can come across as aggressive, even if it’s not intentional. As a business leader who is respectful and empathetic to others’ time and needs, there’s nothing wrong with advocating for your rights and needs in the workplace. While you cannot control the actions and behavior of others, you can manage your actions and behavior at work.
4. Practice and train
As with any other skill you seek to develop, the best way to successfully become more assertive at work is to practice and practice doing so in typical workplace scenarios before they happen at work. Practicing assertiveness in typical work scenarios should help you feel more comfortable. It also lets you stay calm when dealing with the same scenarios in your workplace.
5. Good use of body language
Body language refers to your posture and gestures when describing your thoughts. Your nonverbal cues must match your words and reinforce your consistency. Team members who sense your confidence in your body language may feel more inclined to listen to your verbal messages.
6. Communicate and express opinions clearly
Effective communication is an essential element in practicing assertiveness. Employees may trust your judgment if you say your opinion in a way they understand. Here are ways you can express yourself clearly:
- Tailor your message to match the team’s professional background in the conversation.
- Briefness to maintain the attention span of team members.
- Use a specific formula.
- Ensure that your team has a clear understanding of your message.
7. Determine the appropriate time to express your point of view
As an assertive leader, you must monitor the workplace to determine the proper time to express your ideas and points of view. Note that the moment you assert yourself can influence your employees’ response. So, please choose a time and occasion that allows them to hear and understand your point of view. Furthermore, consider your employees’ needs before exercising your authority.
8. Balance in using voice tone level
When you defend your ideas, your tone can affect how your team perceives your mood. For example, a high tone could mean you are becoming angry, while a soft tone could mean you are sad or shy. Find a balance that shows the team at work that you are serious about your opinion but can still communicate with them. Using a friendly tone can also help you stay positive during the conversation.
Balancing assertiveness maintains a leader’s sense of control and others’ positive evaluation of his or her leadership, management style, and skills.
-
-
-
-
