How to Push Back at Work
A few years ago, when my boss told me “you don’t push back enough”, I was shocked. Back then I was a new grad eager to do more, learn more, and prove myself. How can it be bad if I want to be a team player and try to always be helpful?
A few years later, I have gradually learned that being a people pleaser is not the same as being a team player. A healthy dose of pushing back at the right time in a professional way can be in the best interests of you, your colleagues, and your company.
Why and when should you push back?
If you are/were in the same position as I was, you may wonder why is it bad to cooperate? Here are a few situations I have encountered when pushing back is a better idea than blindly doing what’s asked for.
- The request/proposal made by your colleagues or boss may not be the best solution
Sometimes the people who make the request do not necessarily know what they are asking for because they simply don’t have as much domain knowledge as you do. For example, a colleague requested an analysis for variation of a variable X that equals to A*B. He wants an analysis on B because he thinks B contributes more to the variance. However, he does not know that B has a very small range of variation, and it wouldn’t contribute to the variation of X. Performing an analysis on B wouldn’t help with the problem at all.
Other times the proposal made by other people or even your boss may not be the best solution to the problem. Pushing back by proposing alternative optimal solutions would benefit the project. - The request is unreasonable
Sometimes a request can be unreasonable. For example, I worked on a project that had a very aggressive timeline. Instead of pushing back for more time, I worked overtime to meet the deadline. Later on I learned that I could have pushed back and asked for a few more days. All the midnight oil was burnt in vain. In some cases, pushing back may not work, but it never hurts to ask! - You are not the best person to help
Sometimes people come to you because your work is related to the request they have asked for. However, you haven’t directly worked on it and you will need to figure out the nitty gritty details by asking other people. In this case, it might be best to push back by directing them to the best person who can solve the problem with less time and effort. - There are not enough resources and laser focus should be kept on high priority projects
As the Chinese proverb goes, don’t pick up a sesame seed only to lose a watermelon.
Time and energy are scarce resources. In tech companies we often work on multiple fast-paced projects simultaneously. Adding one more thing on the to-do list sometimes could mean resetting priorities and delaying other projects. Being able to push back low priority tasks will help you stay focused on high priority projects and get more important things done.
How to push back effectively and professionally?
Pushing back takes lots of courage, confidence, and expertise in your domain. It can be nerve racking when you are pushing back on someone who is more senior than you. You may doubt yourself whether pushing back is the right thing to do. You could also be beating a drum in your stomach and fearing that you might be perceived as a bad team player.
Pushing back is an art and like many other things it takes time and practice to get better. I don’t think I am even close to being good at it, but I have learned a few tips from my boss and feel they are very helpful.
- Be calm but assertive
Be calm but assertive and make sure that people understand you are serious about pushing back. Be prepared and don’t cave when other parties push back on your pushing back.
Situations can get frustrating and stressful when both parties have strong opinions. Stay calm and don’t take or make anything personal. Instead of just saying no, provide strong reasons, which lead to the second tip. - Provide strong support and reasons for why you want to push back Make sure you have strong and sufficient reasons to push back.
Instead of just saying “no, I am not doing it”, provide the reasons in a structured way (e.g. bullet points), supported by data and examples. This makes the rejection less personal and helps you to be more persuasive. The people who make the request will likely be more understanding and will less likely perceive you as lazy or not a team player. - Provide alternative solutions that can help answer the question more efficiently
Propose alternative solutions or resources that can help solve the problem. Using the same example provided above, a good example of push back could look like this:
“I agree that understanding the variation of variable X is important to your project. However, I don’t think an analysis on B will answer your question. here are the reasons and alternatives:
1) The variation of variable X could come from both A and B, however B is relatively stable. The standard deviation is this much, and it does not change much over time. An analysis on B is not necessary. For example, in an extreme case, the value of B could change by 100% , but it will only impact less than 1% of variable X.
2) An analysis on the distribution of A will help answer the question instead, since A is the major contributor to X. However I did not work on A directly. It would be best to have Jon Doe who is the main POC of A to help with the analysis for faster and more accurate results.” - Learn from the pros
There are so many talented people with a breadth of experience. Learn from them and take notes. You will get better and better.
To sum up, pushing back can be beneficial when done at the right time in a right way. To push back more efficiently, try the following:
- Be calm and assertive
- Provide strong support and reasons why you push back
- Propose alternative solutions
- Learn from the pros