Pitch Your Great Idea to Your Boss
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Tip
You have a great idea: A product tweak that will save your company money; a process change to increase your team’s productivity; or a plan for heading off a looming program crisis. But there’s just one snag: You’re not sure how to approach your boss about it. How can you frame your pitch to get the best reception?
Start by asking yourself: How will this suggestion make my manager feel? It's possible that hearing a great idea from you might make them feel threatened or insecure so set the conversation up for success by laying a groundwork of trust and goodwill. This is something you do long before you deliver your pitch, of course. You might give your manager positive feedback or express gratitude, provided the sentiments are genuine. Something as simple as, “I really enjoyed that presentation” or “Thanks for your support in the meeting today" can go a long way.
When you raise your idea, approach your manager in private rather than publicly. This will give them space to respond honestly without feeling the pressure of others’ judgment.
Try to frame your suggestions in a way that connects them to the company’s goals. You might reference your boss’s previous communications: for example, “You’ve spoken before about your focus on intuitive design. Here’s my idea for improving the user-friendliness of X product”.
And finally, have an implementation plan ready. At the end of the day, your manager isn’t going to green-light a good idea that can't be executed.
Translations
🇨🇳 向老板推销你的好主意
你有一个很好的想法：一个可以为你的公司省钱的产品调整；一个提高团队生产力的过程改变；或者一个避免危机的计划。 但只有一个问题：你不确定如何向你的老板交涉。 你怎样才能使你的广告得到最好的接待呢？
首先问问自己：这个建议会让我的经理感觉如何？ 听到你的一个好主意可能会让他们感到威胁或不安全，所以通过建立信任和善意的基础，使谈话成功。 当然，这是你在发表演讲之前就已经做好的事情。如果你的感情是真诚的，你可以给你的经理积极的反馈或者表达感激之情。 一些简单的事情，比如“我真的很喜欢这个演讲”或者“谢谢你今天在会议上的支持”，都能起到很大的作用。
当你提出你的想法时，私下而不是公开地找你的经理。 这将给他们空间去诚实地回应，而不会感受到来自他人判断的压力。
试着把你的建议与公司的目标联系起来。 你可以参考你老板以前的交流方式：例如，“你以前说过你注重直观的设计。 这是我对提高 X 产品的用户友好性的想法”。
最后，准备好一个实施计划。 最终，你的经理不会让一个不能执行的好主意付诸实施。
