Hello again,

So I recently had a fascinating discussion with one of the people I coach. She works as a UX designer for an agency and was asking about how she should handle situations where she believes terrible decisions are being made. She struggles to balance speaking up and knowing when to accept defeat graciously.

It is a topic I touched on tangentially a while back, but I wanted to discuss it more directly today because I believe it is a balance many people struggle to get right. It is certainly something I struggle with myself.

Some people fail to speak up because they lack confidence, while others must learn when to keep their mouths shut and let things go. I will let you guess which category I fall into!

You Don’t Know the Whole Story

I have learned over the years that I don’t know as much as I think I do, and any decision probably includes many more factors than I am considering.

For example, the user experience must always be balanced with factors like business objectives and return on investment. It is not as simple as always going for the best experience possible. If that were the case, every company would give away their products and services for free!

Different Perspectives Need Consideration

Each stakeholder will come with their perspective based on their understanding of the project. Each will only see a part of the puzzle, so disagreements are inevitable.

Testing is Not Always the Answer

As I have said many times over the years, I prefer to test when these issues arise to decide which approach is best. However, that is not always possible due to time constraints, budget, or the nature of the issue.

We Must Respect the Decision of Leadership

That is where it falls to leadership to make the final call, and it is okay if they don’t always agree with you. However, we must learn to accept their decision even if we disagree.

Does that mean they will always get it right? Absolutely not. However, ultimately a decision needs to be made and they will have the broadest perspective of all the factors involved.

Our Responsibility

That said, we have a responsibility too. Our responsibility is to communicate our opinion as clearly as possible and back it with as much evidence as we can gather.

But it is also our responsibility to shut up and accept defeat if we fail to convince leadership. Continuing to argue will damage the project, undermine relationships, and is extremely unlikely to change the outcome.

That is not to say you need to agree with the decision. Never say that you think something is correct just because somebody else says so. If you do, you will get sucked into the blame game if things go wrong. So instead, agree to disagree and implement their final decision with no more fuss.

Don’t Take It Personally

However, most of all, I would encourage you to be more laid back about whether a client or boss implements your idea or not. Your job is to present the options and give them your opinion and any associated evidence. After that, it is down to them. If they reject your idea, focus on getting better at communicating your opinion next time. Never take it personally.

Ultimately life is too short, and you will be constantly unhappy if you consistently fight colleagues and management.