ALT-1 Importance of being Assertive in the Office
Assertiveness is a vital attribute for an office worker. It is crucially important, however, not to confuse assertiveness, with aggression, selfishness, rudeness, or stealing other people’s thunder. Assertiveness is more about self-reliance, and resourcefulness, the abilities that help you to work independently, with minimal supervision. This is a valuable, and valued, skill in any employee.
Assertion means not being afraid to ask the necessary questions, to enable you to do your work. It also means that you are resourceful, and take responsibility for knowing where to go and who to ask, for information, or for the things that you need to complete any task. If you are assertive, you are not too shy to ask those, who are superior to you, for the answers that you need to complete your task successfully.
Asserting yourself means that you readily volunteer for new tasks and responsibilities, you have confidence, in yourself, your skills and abilities. Some people feel frightened to volunteer for new things, in case they make mistakes. Assertive people are not afraid to make mistakes, although they like to do things right first time, because they know that mistakes teach a person as much as, if not more than, successes. When assertive people are asked to take on something unfamiliar, they know how to make themselves familiar with the new thing, or idea, and exactly who to ask, to learn what they need to know.
If you are assertive, you are decisive, and do not spend your office life hesitating over every minor decision. You reflect a confident and sure personality, and this is a leadership, or managerial, skill. If you want promotion, this is a good thing to do.
Assertive people are not afraid to give an opinion, and they are prepared, and able, to defend that opinion. That does not mean that being assertive entitles you to force your opinion on others, to shout others down, and not to allow them to speak.
Assertion is not aggression, nor is it anger, or bullying, although many people think that it is all of those things. It is more subtle, and you are still required to treat others with respect and dignity. In fact, often someone, who is assertive can, by asserting themselves, allow someone else a voice, for example, S was a terribly shy, but a very sensible and capable worker, who often had some very interesting, and helpful, things to say. S often did not get the chance to speak at team meetings. B, a more assertive worker, noticed this, and, during the next team meeting, turned to S and said, “I wonder what your thoughts are on this problem, S; you generally have some extremely good feelings about these matters?” By doing so, B made space for S to speak, amongst the very strong personalities in the team, complimented her on her good sense, showed S and everyone else that her contribution was valuable, and that she, B respected that opinion, and encouraged S to speak.
Being assertive in the office, is very important. It shows confidence, leadership skills, self-reliance, resourcefulness, capability and ability. Assertiveness helps both you and your colleagues, and it can also help you towards a successful career.
