How To Be Assertive At Work Without Being a Jackass

Despite the large number of your duties, do you again agree to an additional task to help a colleague? At the request of the director, stay at work for two hours longer, although you had plans for the evening?

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Most people have been in this situation at least once in their lives. Want to quit but don’t know how? Are you afraid of the reaction of your manager or colleagues? This must be fought!

What is assertiveness and how does it affect your professional and personal life?

Assertiveness is the ability to defend one’s own opinion and not be influenced by other people. The whole difficulty lies in not violating the boundaries of other people, protecting their own interests, that is, being able to say “no” without the use of violence (not only physical, but also psychological). While it’s not always easy, especially in business situations, assertiveness can be learned.

Every day we communicate with other people: at home, at school, at work, while shopping or relaxing. Social situations give rise to conflicts of interest, values, relationships, data, or structural conflicts. It’s completely natural! However, any conflict situation is a source of additional stress. Therefore, the ability to build interpersonal relationships in accordance with one’s own needs and desires is essential both in personal and professional life.

Who is an assertive person?

• can express their thoughts, needs and wishes;

• can say “no” firmly, but without showing aggressive behavior;

• has high self-esteem;

• is aware of its advantages, but also its disadvantages;

• is empathic, that is, has the ability to understand the psychological state of other people;

• can take both criticism and praise;

• not afraid of failure;

• sets realistic goals and knows how to achieve them;