103 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

The concept that you are looking for is called "disagree and commit". Somehow, through whatever processes are in place, the team or organization makes a decision. At this point, individuals ...
Thomas Owens's user avatar
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26 votes
Accepted

Work forcing me to attend a Christmas Party

There is nothing nefarious going on here. Your company is holding a two day event. One is mandatory attendence of a party that probably stretches into the night, and one is a free day to rest. You can ...
nvoigt's user avatar
  • 137k
23 votes
Accepted

Should I pay for dinner to pay back a dinner from 3 years ago?

Seems perfectly reasonable to say 'You got it last time, you're in my town, so time for some insert name of area hospitality - my treat' It's only as weird as you want to make it. a $200 meal for 2 is ...
TheDemonLord's user avatar
  • 28.4k
14 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

There's no magic polite statement for this that will solve all your problems.. I do definitely agree that what you're saying comes off the wrong way. The most important thing will be your attitude - ...
Jack Gifford's user avatar
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13 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

Experiments Vs. Debates I think the key is to phrase the conversation from a team approach rather than a you vs. them perspective. The reason the current phrasing you're using is coming across as a ...
Nick Friesen's user avatar
13 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

Is this your decision to make? If you truly believe that all the arguments have been considered and there is no point for further discussion, then the key aspect becomes the organizational question of ...
Peteris's user avatar
  • 4,053
13 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

The best way to say two things, is to say them one at a time. But in this case, you only need to say one of them. The people you are talking to are under no illusion that you've suddenly come around ...
Sneftel's user avatar
  • 503
11 votes

Should I pay for dinner to pay back a dinner from 3 years ago?

You remember this incident fondly, yes? Handing the coworker some cash and saying "there, we're even now" would be weird. But telling them "I still remember you taking care of my dinner ...
Kate Gregory's user avatar
9 votes

Work forcing me to attend a Christmas Party

Part of your company's concern with offering time off without attendance at the party, is that a significant number of people given that choice may then prefer to use the time as personal holiday, so ...
Steve's user avatar
  • 8,691
9 votes

Work forcing me to attend a Christmas Party

You have already been told from the start that there is an option. Go and get day off or work instead. So solution is just to work here.
novafluff's user avatar
  • 3,030
8 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

This is like raising children. As a parent, you want to see the best outcomes, but there's no way you can control what they do 100% of the time. They lack your vision and experience, and there's no ...
Xavier J's user avatar
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7 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

"agree to disagree" If you've already had the conversation where you make your points, listened to their points, come to an impasse, and decided that it's time to end the conversation, that'...
9072997's user avatar
  • 171
6 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

"On your head be it" "Approved, against advice" "Sink or swim, this is your pool party" "You do you" Whilst there are many idioms in the English language for ...
TheDemonLord's user avatar
  • 28.4k
5 votes

Whom should I go to if I have a complaint about the assistant director of the company I work for?

Okay- Wall of Text aside - there's 2 things that jump out at me, I'm not going to answer the question you've asked per se though: We have had a tremendous turnover in our office support staff. and ...
TheDemonLord's user avatar
  • 28.4k
4 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

As an upper-level programmer, I deal with this daily: In a well-organized business situation, there should be a designated decision-maker. That is the person who will ultimately bear responsibility ...
Chris Sunami's user avatar
  • 1,327
4 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

In British English, the phrase you are looking for is "That is a very brave decision, but of course you have my support." You can find some other useful expressions here: Anglo-EU ...
AlDante's user avatar
  • 165
3 votes

Work forcing me to attend a Christmas Party

Can my boss still force me to go? Obviously, you cannot be forced. It's completely your choice: go or work. ("if we refuse to go then we must work")
Joe Strazzere's user avatar
2 votes

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

I know very well where you are coming from. The issue can be even exacerbated when you are, indeed, an expert with lots of experience in the matter, and if you feel that if you do "it" (...
AnoE's user avatar
  • 8,925
1 vote

Is there a polite way to say "I am not going to be convinced this is a good idea, but I can also see you won't either. Go ahead without my blessing"?

I'm going to push back on the premise of the question a little bit here: have you considered the possibility that you're wrong? If not, that's probably part of the problem here. Regardless of how much ...
EJoshuaS - Stand with Ukraine's user avatar
1 vote

Whom should I go to if I have a complaint about the assistant director of the company I work for?

You're probably wasting your time, especially if you live in a state with at-will employment. I want to make something very clear: I believe that caregiver jobs are very important! However, the ...
Xavier J's user avatar
  • 42.3k
1 vote

Whom should I go to if I have a complaint about the assistant director of the company I work for?

If you can't get HR on the phone or by email or by writing a paper letter, and there really is an HR department or individual, visit their office. Ditto the director These are really the only places ...
keshlam's user avatar
  • 59.8k
1 vote

Work forcing me to attend a Christmas Party

You said: some other employees who couldn't attend due to other reasons were able to still have paid leave. Your answer is right there. Find something else to do that is an acceptable excuse to not ...
Yourn's user avatar
  • 354

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