Developing your Assertive side in the Workplace

Developing your assertive side in the workplace can help you in your quest to become a better leader without being aggressive. We sometimes picture assertive people as thinking about themselves and very demanding and expressing their feelings, needs, and opinions in a forthright manner. The assertive person is someone who communicates with others on the best of all possible levels in a professional manner.

The Building Blocks of Accountability

Transparency: All processes in an organization must be as transparent as possible. Encourage your employees to ask questions and give them honest answers. Wouldn’t you expect the same from them?

Honesty: Demand honesty from all employees at all levels. Everyone should be accountable to someone. Ensure that employees have access to the information that they need to make decisions based on real-time information.

Credibility: Ensure employees are in a position where they can have credibility. They can build their credibility by sharing past, relevant experiences with staff, or do so yourself on the company Web site, through a memo, or in a newsletter.

Integrity: Integrity means following your values and being an accountable day in and day out. It means acting consistently, so that people can rely on you, in good situations and tough spots.

Trust: Employees must trust each other to make honest decisions, to do good work, to generally act for the good of the company, and to be accountable for their decisions.