While I usually frame suggestions in the positive—“what to do” is much more useful than “what not to do”—there are some “negative” tips that are unusually helpful, and this is one, for me at least.
Don’t have a neutral opinion on any issue related to your work. With the exception of truly minor details, of course.
Here is the impetus behind this one: I had a meeting the other day with the CEO of a billion-dollar tech “unicorn” and he mocked employees who have “very strong opinions about their compensation packages, and nothing else.”
His joke made clear how the world looks from his eyes, and the eyes of any client or boss. He pays people to have opinions—in fact, having opinions and then turning the consequences of those opinions into actions is the core reason why professionals are hired. So not having opinions is effectively reneging on one of your core duties. You’re being paid to think about these issues, and if you don’t, why are you there?
The joke makes the point in a strong way because you have opinions about everything you care about. That’s why you have strong opinions about your compensation package. So not having opinions about the work itself is a signal that you don’t care. True opinions stem from diving into the materials and the work itself; so to generate real opinions, you have to be deeply engaged.
There are a few implications to this, to keep in mind.
First, you don’t need to have an opinion on everything just to have an opinion. It’s better to have no opinion than to pretend to have one that you can’t defend.
Second, you don’t need to have opinions all with equal strength. Some things you feel stronger about than others. And that’s okay. Just say that. A great tip is to preface any opinion with your barometer for your confidence in it. “I feel strongly that…” or “This is just a hunch and I don’t feel strongly on this; I just suspect that…” could be two ways to convey the strength of your opinion. Note that the stronger you feel about an opinion, the more you should be able to defend it if needed.
Third, if you are to not have opinions on issues related to your work and disregard this advice, that’s fine, my advice isn’t always applicable in every case; just rules of thumbs I’ve found over the years; so there are exceptions, or maybe you disagree with this one–then you should make clear that your opinion is not to have an opinion. To use an old New York saying that I enjoy over-using, “opinions are like assholes; everyone has one.” I use this to frame my general take, which is, I don’t have weak opinions, only strong ones. But when I have an opinion, I fight for it—staking everything on it (in the cases in which I am pressured to give an opinion, I preface it with weak wording similar to the above.) This framing isn’t for everyone, but it is a way to reach a similar conclusion while avoiding having stating opinions.
Fourth, if you do have opinions on issues related to your work, don’t be shy to share them. Often, people have opinions and don’t have the confidence to void them. It’s important that voicing your opinions is not only what you’re paid for, but it’s how you craft a unique voice and unique role, and unique reputation within your organization. Without opinions? You turn out to be just like everyone else. And that’s fatal if you want to grow your career.
Fifth, of course, don’t take this to the extreme. The qualification of having opinions on issues “related to your work” is key, you don’t want to be one of those true assholes that have an opinion on everything. They’re unbearable. How do you balance the two? Easy—by how core the issue is to your work. The more core it is, the more relevant it is, the more important it is for your particular day to day and your strategic activities, the more important it is you have an opinion—and that you voice it.
