New York Lawyer
October 6, 2005

Q:
One of the partners in my firm, very senior, is always weighing in on current events, voicing his very conservative opinions in a heavy-handed way, as if everyone obviously agrees with him. For example, recently, with Hurricane Katrina, he was immediately opining that the poor emergency response was the fault of the New Orleans mayor.

As a more junior person I grit my teeth listening to this stuff, as I have a different political persuasion, but I feel like I can't contradict him, as it would be unwise from a political standpoint. Nobody else says much, either. Still, it bugs me; his behavior is oppressive and I find myself seething over his latest riposte. Any thoughts?

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A:

The short answer, and path of least resistance, is to let him have his soapbox, but avoid him (by remembering an important task that must be done immediately) when he starts in. It rarely is worth it to take on an ideologue, let alone a powerful one, in the work context.

The longer, slightly riskier answer is that you can engage in a respectful way, and hopefully you won't hurt yourself. (You know better than I how important, or not, irrelevant political factors are in your firm for advancement.) It can be an ongoing irritation to have a powerful person suck up all the oxygen in informal conversations. Here's a few thoughts:

He may not realize that people disagree with him. Powerful people often become insulated from dissent, since so many people around them are afraid to say what they really think. From the silence that greets his remarks, he may well draw the conclusions that everyone approves of his views. And I'd bet he doesn't realize that his comments, given his status, in fact are oppressive.

Don't "disagree," just converse. If you have a different view, you can say, "That's interesting. Another thought is �" rather than saying bluntly that you disagree. It's a graceful way to make a varying point without being too confrontational.

Use facts to make your points. If you decide to take him on, so to speak, point to facts that refute his arguments, rather than making declaratory statements that are conclusory and again more confrontational than is appropriate.

Kid around with him. One of the best ways to make a point like this is to do it in a gently humorous way. "Enough with the liberal Democrat politics!" said in a jocular tone, or something like that, can get across that people are on to him without being too direct.

Sincerely,
Holly English
Principal Consultant, Values at Work