Office Etiquette: How to Speak Up When Your Boss Is Wrong

It can be pretty intimidating to confront your supervisor about a mistake he or she has made, but the consequences of staying silent could be worse. When you know you are right about a matter that's important to business, it’s best to be honest and speak up.

Kerry Patterson, co-author of The New York Times best-seller Crucial Conversations  and co-founder of VitalSmarts – a corporate training and organizational performance guide – offers these tips to ease the awkwardness of this type of situation and help solidify your working relationships:

• Approach your supervisor in a private setting to lower the potential for embarrassment and defensiveness.
• Start your conversation by communicating respect for your supervisor and your good intent in pointing out the mistake.
• Stick to the facts of the situation and avoid language that sound like judgment or personal opinions and conclusions.
• Agree with your supervisor wherever possible.
• Be open and encourage discussion about the discrepancy and discuss perspectives with a goal of learning why a decision was made

Following these steps can help you navigate this tricky situation, and show your peers and managers that you're paying attention and invested in the well-being and future of your company.