Here's how you can maintain your integrity while navigating power dynamics with your boss.

Think of it like being the captain of a ship: 1. Know your course - Your values are your compass, guiding you through rough waters. 2. Steady your ship - Mindfulness helps you stay calm and balanced, even in storms. 3. Communicate clearly - Express your principles firmly and respectfully, like clear signals to other ships. By being clear on your principles, you'll be better equipped to communicate your stance in a way that is both firm and respectful, even when faced with challenging situations.

The first thing to do is to ensure you build a good relationship with your boss You cannot walk into these situations & offload if you don't have any credibility or trust You also need to develop really good emotional intelligence, so that you can read the room, you can read the signs, some non verbal, & you can read body language Once you have built a strong relationship & trust, you're more likely to be seen as a trusted advisor which allows you to raise issues which may be uncomfortable to hear...but it will be clear that these are said for the greater good But you need the relationship first. I've done this with CEOs and senior leaders; once you've proven yourself, & that your interests are aligned, this becomes far easier to do

Being self aware of your emotions and emotional triggers is key in this type of dynamic. As a mindset coach with a focus on mindfulness, I believe mindfulness helps to develop such awareness. It also teaches you to pause and respond rather than be reactive that can escalate the situation further. With such a skillset you are better able to navigate any type of situation or conversation with eloquence and ease. It also teaches you to self reflect in a healthy way after the fact instead of ruminating.

Maintaining integrity while navigating power dynamics with your boss involves clear communication, setting personal boundaries, and consistently aligning actions with your values. It’s important to be respectful yet assertive, and to seek common ground that upholds both ethical standards and professional responsibilities.

Approaching conversations with your boss is like tending to a delicate garden. Just as you carefully nurture plants with attention and care, so too should you cultivate communication with your boss. Imagine each conversation as a seed planted in this garden. With mindfulness as your watering can, you can nourish these seeds, allowing them to blossom into fruitful exchanges. By actively listening and genuinely seeking to understand your boss's perspective, you create fertile ground for mutual respect and collaboration to thrive. Just as a well-tended garden flourishes with attention, so too will your relationship with your boss blossom with mindful communication.

Do thinking sessions often - where you just listen and let the other person speak until they are done. You get down to the meat of the issues and can see perspectives shift pretty quickly when you do this. You will also see great ways to respond to the real problems at hand if you are willing to step back for a minute.

Communicate communicate communicate….so easy to say but in reality it’s the key to honest, transparent and effective team dynamics. Often when critical conversations need to take place, we run and hide, stick our head in the sand or fight defensively. Think with your heart…become aware of what’s happening inside. STOP: stop, take a breath, observe the feeling, proceed with discernment. Critical communication and conversations may be difficult but it’s a skill that can transform any professional relationship.

Native Americans have long known and acted upon the principle of "Choosing your battles". Not every skirmish requires a response. If your boss is Acting Out, abusing their authority, or simply being a pompous jerk, don't engage. When you engage, you take on their energy and woes. Not engaging keeps the problem squarely on the shoulders of the perpetrator. Be the better person.

Sometimes bosses will purposefully try to get you riled up, especially when they know they have the advantage in the coming argument. Pay close attention to your emotions in these moments. Use phrases that let you observe your emotions without identifying with them. For example, you could think “there is anger” versus “I am angry”. If you have the space, become incredibly curious with your emotions. Every emotion shows up in the body as physical “symptoms”. If you notice yourself getting angry, take a moment to pay attention to how your fist might clench or how your eyebrows may come together. Maybe you will feel heat or energy rushing through your body? Once you have explored your difficult emotion, then decide if you will speak up.

One thing I found helpful is to revisit the company’s vision and mission. Second is to reflect on response vs react. Third as others have mentioned is to choosing which battle to fight based on your overarching goal. Being assertive does not mean being aggressive

Wanting to fight every battle at work is not productive. There are some times when you need to learn to let go. As long as you are clear on what is important to you and how it aligns with your values, you will know when to let others have it their way. You cannot be Justice in every single battle.

In everyday life and work, injustices are inevitable. Whether it's someone cutting in line, a colleague stealing your idea, or a family member judging your lifestyle, these moments affect us. Patience is key. It doesn’t mean ignoring injustice but observing it first. In our reaction is our freedom. Sometimes, refraining from responding is best. Just acknowledge your anger and let it go. Yet, some issues touch a core value, and not responding is costly. If a boss is consistently unethical, the toll on your health can be severe. Stress will persist, and your needs will go unmet. Listen to your emotions. Don't endure a harmful situation too long.

L'ancrage psychique et corporel est une resssource incontournable à développer en milieu professionnel. Ceci permet de maintenir et de renforcer la sécurité interne, la stabilité psycho-émotionnelle et le calme. Ceci permet aussi de se protéger face aux enjeux de pouvoir, de renforcer la cohérence entre ses pensées et ses actions et d'être plus enclin à faire face aux situations conflictuelles et délicates au travail.

I often say, "WE are humans being Perfectly Imperfect". We struggle, become upset, say the wrong thing, and sometimes act out. Being "Grounded" does not mean that you are exempt from your humanity, or are expected to be perfect, but it means that you have far greater odds of Mindfully responding during stressful situations.

Just as a sturdy anchor keeps a ship steady amidst raging waves, mindfulness techniques ground you firmly in the present moment. Like the anchor holding the ship steadfast, mindfulness helps you weather the storm of emotions and maintain your composure. With your feet firmly planted on the ground, you can navigate through turbulent waters with clarity and strength, ensuring that your actions remain true to your values.

Remember that your objectivity may be compromised. From long experience of working with narcissists, their ability to bend reality around them is one of the reasons they have reached their positions of power. It is very easy, even with the best intentions, to get sucked into their web without knowing. Make sure you have a confidential sounding board (a coach or therapist is good), or better yet, be rigorously transparent with everyone around you. Be very wary of quick, behind the scenes 'fixes' that seem to be for the greater good.

If this is a planned conversation, I recommend regulating your nervous system before the conversation. What does that mean? We want to calm your body and your mind so they can work together towards your specific goal. Just a few minutes of 5-7-8 breathing can help bring your heart rate back to baseline, the last thing we want is for you to be in fight/flight(survival). All you need to do is breathe in for 5 seconds, hold for 7, and exhale for 8 through your mouth. After you do this, remember that you are in control of you. You get to choose how you want to respond. Honor your boundaries. Call for a "timeout" if you need it. Not everything needs to be solved in ONE conversation.

Seeking for support can become an issue if we are not completely grounded with ourselves and acknowledging the emotions that are leading our actions. By not becoming self-aware and seeking for external aid, if we are biased, we will mislead the third-party when speaking about our own judgements as perceptions, making their aid non-reliable and non-neutral. When seeking for help we must be able to remain neutral and know that the person we are seeking guidance from, will most likely be conditioned by our own feelings and emotions. The best support comes from a facilitator that can help us to perceive where we are not being coherent and identify how we are affecting and perpetrating this situation in our lives.

Seeking support doesn’t have to be complicated. If it’s your sense of integrity that you might want some validation for, often it’s our closest friends who usually know who we are and what we value: they can help us see if we are still in integrity or not. And if they can’t be sure, then maybe they can at least listen while you process your feelings. If your friends can’t help, you might want to consider hiring a life coach.

demander de l'aide n'est pas un signe de faiblesse, mais une démarche stratégique et intelligente pour tirer parti des ressources disponibles et gérer les défis de manière constructive et alignée avec vos principes.Les autres peuvent apporter une perspective différente et plus objective sur la situation, vous permettant de prendre du recul et d'envisager les choses sous un angle nouveau. Vos collègues ou mentors ont probablement déjà traversé des situations similaires, accumulant ainsi une expertise précieuse.

Regular reflection is like polishing a mirror. Just as cleaning a mirror helps you see yourself more clearly, reflecting on your experiences allows you to gain insights into your actions and values. It's like looking in the mirror and asking, "Am I staying true to myself?" This ongoing practice helps you grow and adapt, ensuring that you remain aligned with your integrity even in challenging situations.

Reflection ?? is definitely key ??? to identifying what need tweaking and changing to continue to improve for the better and journaling and meditation are valuable mindfulness practices in focusing on awareness of ourselves and others around us.

Going inwards.. .Tapping into Oneself for the answers is what Mindfulness teaches us. Once one operates from Inside! Automatically the outer actions are in alignment for better decisions and thus better business outcomes.

Aiming to keep it simple. If I have to engage in power dynamics with my boss, integrity is already lost. Authentic, vision, mission, and values based, organizational goals driven dialogue should be the norm. Clarity of identity, competence in role, mutual risk understanding, shared values and goals remove power dynamics. The dynamic should only be of operational optimization or strategic alignment, dependent on your level in the organization.

Reflection is powerful and sometimes occurs naturally after an unexpected exchange in public overheard by your peers. It leads to what I should have done differently so that my peers do not take perceptions from verbal statements as the version of the truth. Once armed with the knowledge that you might be opportunistically blindsided, you can develop strategies as to how to engage to ensure perceptions do not arise and take root. Reflection is the foundation for continuous professional development and is complimented by acting upon the strategies developed and continuing to hone them. Seek a confidant to discuss your strategies and reflections with to help mould them into de-escalatory value adding approaches that others want to emulate

Was about to add something similar. Authenticity will always shine through the darkness.

In addition to what had been covered previously, few more things to consider: 1) Never attach your emotions with a particular topic you are in discussion with someone senior to you , same applies in dealing with strongly opinionated juniors also. 2) In place of arguments and counter arguments, document the pro’s and con’s of the topic in discussion 3) Give options to chose and get the decision from your senior Sometime even after all this if decisions are forced , swallow them and move on. This might be like taking a bitter pill to ensure peace both at workplace as well as home, invest the saved time into something better and more beneficial.

How can we reawaken integrity? When we are living in integrity there is a quality of brutal self-honesty that invites us to explore our depth and capacity of self-awareness and an uncompromising willingness to be authentic. Standing in our integrity or "wholeness" we lead by example with a strong sense of self and a moral compass that roots us to our unwavering values and principles. Integrity also contains the word "grit" because, sometimes, you'll be under intense pressure from others to go against the grain to stand confidently in your principles and values. My takeaway...Be whole and true to yourself. Know your values and stick to them, even under pressure which requires self-honesty and the courage to be different.

This issue ranks among the most pressing concern facing clients in my psychology practice. Unsettling emotions and rigid, self-defeating thinking often combine to create a psychological paralysis that either sacrifices integrity or distorts the realistic meaning of circumstances. When we peel back the layers of power dynamics it reveals early manifestations of similar encounters with parents, siblings, teachers, coaches, or other authority figures. These early fractious relationships form the bedrock of transferred feelings and narratives that must be considered to free oneself from the internal pressure to once again go into battle over one’s integrity. First make peace with the “authority ghosts” of the past to find a clear path forward.