Whether in personal relationships or in professional settings, being assertive is all about making your presence felt in a positive way. Assertiveness requires skill and can take time to cultivate, but it’s a quality you can aspire to master.
Assertiveness is having the ability to stand for yourself and to express your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. It is about being able to articulate your desires and needs directly and truthfully while also taking into consideration what others have to say. Assertiveness is not the same as aggressiveness, and it is the opposite of passiveness.
Passive
When you take a passive stance in professional interactions, your thoughts and desires come second to those of others, which is not good because it could negatively affect your confidence and sense of self-worth
Assertive
Assertiveness is based on balance.It requires being forthright about your wants and needs, while still considering the rights, needs and wants of others. When you're assertive, you are self-assured and draw power from this to get your point across firmly, fairly and with empathy.
Aggressive
Aggressive behaviour is based on winning. You do what is in your own best interest without regard for the rights, needs, feelings, or desires of other people. When you're aggressive, the power you use is selfish. You may come across as pushy or even bullying. You take what you want, often without asking.
As you can imagine, nurturing passive or aggressive behaviour in professional relationships can have undesirable consequences. Assertiveness, on the other hand, is key to developing good interpersonal skills. Learning how to be more assertive will not only earn you respect among co-workers, but it’ll also reduce your stress, making you feel more confident about yourself and your interactions with others.
Here are 5 tips to remember when being assertive
1. Value yourself and your rights - Trust that your feelings and ideas are valid and worthy of expression
2. Voice your needs and wants confidently - Speak from a position of intelligence and knowledge
3. Express yourself in a positive way - Always remember your manners
4. Learn to listen - Be in the moment and try to understand the people involved, imagining how they feel, and why.
5. Take feedback on board - Be open to both criticism and compliments and learn from any mistakes
Adrian Osuchowski - Orion Search
Orion Search assists Primary Processors (Abattoirs & Boning Rooms) and Further Processors (Value Added Meat, Ready To Eat & Smallgoods) within Beef, Lamb, Pork and Poultry employ their hard to find, permanent staff all across Australia.