Should I have pushed back against my boss’s terrible idea?

August 28, 2026 — 5:01am

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Some time ago, during an important team meeting, a manager proposed an idea that I and many of my colleagues knew was unwise. Conflict with this manager is a daunting prospect, and only one of us spoke up – they were polite and respectful.

The manager thanked my colleague for their input, but the project went ahead unchanged. It was the disaster many of us thought it would be. When the full cost of the mistake became clear, the manager lost their cool and our team was reprimanded for not “flagging problems” back in the meeting. Was it legitimate to blame us for not “pushing back” strongly enough and failing to “take ownership”?

I’ll give you the answer to your ultimate question straight away: no. There was no valid reason to blame you for the failure of the project.

There might have been if you and your peers had held your tongues out of spite. By engaging in what’s known as malicious compliance – knowing the idea was doomed to fail but saying nothing to teach the manager “a lesson” or because you wanted to revel in their........

© The Age