Your tongue is one of the most vital organs for you, apart from your brain, when you are in a profession!
If you use your tongue wisely, you can grow, if not, your career is doomed even before it starts.
Let me give you the reason behind it.
At work, not only you have to voice out your opinions, you have to ensure that your words and message comes across in the right manner and should hit the right chord with everyone who is listening to you. That’s one of the most difficult things to do for sure as not everyone is equal and not everyone is going to take your message the way you intend to give it.
While dealing with colleagues, superiors or juniors, one gets confused about how to communicate. That is the reason some people while trying to be diplomatic look like ass-lickers and those trying to be straightforward and blunt come across as rude!
What is the solution then? Diplomacy Or Bluntness?
It Is Situational – Be Flexible
Frankly speaking, it is a “one-size doesn’t fit all” scenario. It is entirely up to you and the situation you’re in. Sometimes, against the wise advice of intelligence, you have to be blunt to put your point across. It is risky, the gamble may backfire, but then if the issue at stake is the well-being of the organisation and someone has to care a bit extra for its growth, be that someone! Initially people might hate you, but if you’re right, sooner or later everyone will come around and you might even become a hero!
Diplomacy Is Imperative – Here
On the other hand, there are situations where no matter what, the recipient of your message is a person, who is incapable of taking blunt messages! For those, polish your diplomatic skills to the extent that you can convey the most rudimentary or the most tragic scenarios to them in a manner that they receive it 100% and still love you for bringing it to them! But for this, you need to have a discerning eye to understand the clear demeanour of the people you are dealing with. Be a good observer.
Be You – And Work The Best Way To Get Things Done
Some people feel they don’t care a damn and call a spade a spade! It is also a right way of pursuing your career, but in those cases, one has to be ready to face the consequences of one’s such blunt decisions. More often than not, people will not love you, even if you’re able to get your job done. However, the extreme opposite is also not true that you only try to butter-up the warning signs just to come across as a good person! No, even at the cost of sounding like a moron, do what is right for your work and organisation.
Being diplomatic or blunt are just means to an end. The objective is to bring out the weaknesses of the system you’re working in and ensure that even if people do get offended, they accept the hard truths and work to overcome those challenges, as a team!
Work on your skills and adapt according to the situation.
