When to Share Great Ideas with your Boss
Sharing new ideas with the supervisor can be an intimidating experience, particularly if others have failed to do so in the past. Ideally the boss is someone who is open to innovative concepts, but this is not always the case. Some managers claim that their door is always open, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The unfortunate reality of life is that some supervisors are sufficiently insecure and ideas from their employees are seen more as a threat than an opportunity. Therefore, sharing ideas should be done with some care so that the workers are able to maximize their benefit. There are times to share, and there are times to wait for a better moment. Here are some times to share new ideas with the manager.
Wait for an invitation
In some cases the best time to present great ideas is when they are actually solicited. There are times when the supervisor may ask for new concepts and if this occurs the employees should be prepared to present their thoughts. The challenge is that some bosses never actually ask for new ideas so some workers may need to be bold and proactive rather than wait for an actual invitation. Sometimes people convince themselves that the perfect moment will come, but this just causes them to delay for a very long time.
Budget time and calendars
There are times during the month or the fiscal year when the supervisor is under a great deal of stress. In some businesses this occurs at the end of the month or the close of the quarter. The savvy employee will pay attention to the work calendar and be aware of when the boss is more tense than usual. Proposing new ideas when the supervisor has a deadline can be a very bad idea. In some cases it may be best to propose new ideas at the beginning of the new quarter, but workers should be sure that the manager is not too fatigued from their experience of closing the books.
A casual setting
Sometimes ideas are best shared in a more casual setting such as a company retreat or a business lunch away from the office. Not all supervisors are the same, but some are able to relax a bit when they get outside the office. Depending on the relationship and the appropriateness of outside meetings, an employee may ask a boss to go to lunch or get a coffee if they feel a different environment would help with conversation. This can obviously backfire if the worker misjudges the situation but professional life is full of risks and tough choices that must be made.
The right moment
Ultimately professionals need to read situations on a daily basis and make their proposals at the right time. The employee may be ready on a given day to make their proposal, but they may walk into the supervisor's office and find the boss in a seemingly poor mood. Rather than risk a quick dismissal of their idea, the person may want to rethink their strategy and propose their idea at a later date. This can obviously go on for a long time and the nervous employee may constantly talk themselves out of making a presentation. However, there is a time and a place to present a new idea and the savvy worker will get to know their manager's cues and make their pitch at just the right moment.
