(Answering from a general perspective of someone speaking up to a manager/higher up)
When you speak up to your boss you are risking them feeling disrespected or feeling that you are not someone who gets work done. Every company has its own culture and people often have their own ideologies as well. In some places, speaking up to your boss is considered a big no, whereas in some places, people welcome feedback and constructive criticism. If it is the former, speaking up could even risk you your job.
On the other hand, accepting an ethically dubious task would mean that you are comprising your ethics and values. There are people who would be extremely bothered and unable to live with themselves if they do that and there would be some people who would not give it much thought — you need to know what side you are on. Additionally, as mentioned by Melinda, if one gets caught in the lie, there is a lot at stake (there will be long term repercussions).
3-step plan:
- One needs to acknowledge that speaking up is tough and be prepared to have a conversation that might be challenging. You shouldn’t be doubting yourself and be super worried, nor should you be overconfident. This way, if it goes super smooth, you end up being pleasantly surprised and if it is challenging, you are prepared.
- The status button would be pushed in this case. As mentioned by Josh Bersin, one should try to use as much collaborative language here as possible. You do not want anyone to feel that you are challenging their authority or questioning their way of doing things — the human ego is very easy to hurt.
- This sort of ties back in to what I mentioned in part 1 above, you need to be prepared for all possible scenarios and have a response for all possible questions. You should also provide them with a plan of what can be done instead.
