Who said communicating was easy?

Today’s installment in the series of characteristics common among successful people will revolve around the trait of being assertive.  Many people think that to be assertive means to make your opinion or viewpoint known to others. This is true – however, many people confuse being assertive with being “blunt,” where a person’s opinion is stated with no consideration to how any other person may respond to or feel about their stated opinion.

The successful ones know well that to truly be assertive is to express one's opinion or viewpoint while also having consideration for the viewpoints and opinions of others. It may sound a lot like tolerance, which I talked about last week, because there are similarities, but there are differences between the two.

Basically, to be assertive means that you stand up
for your rights and needs while respecting the
rights and needs of others

Remember that you have rights, and other people have rights. As long as you respectfully stand up for your rights, and respectfully understand that others have rights, you will be well on your way to more successful relationships. If you want a great lesson on assertiveness and your personal “bill of assertive rights,” check out my previous blog post here.

Assertive behavior is especially great when dealing with bullies or difficult people in the workplace, because sometimes these types of personalities prey on who they feel is “weak” or “powerless.” To be assertive automatically empowers you and conveys to others that you have self worth and self esteem.

It takes a lot of work and practice to be assertive, and as the great ones have found out, when you can be assertive, you will find that your communication is much more honest and effective. Let’s all work together to choose to be more assertive! Assertive communication is responsible communication!

Assertive communication is
responsible communication!

Have a great day!

-Victor