3 tips for picking the right battles

Plenty of problems get on your nerves at work, but trying to fight every one of them will leave you exhausted and your colleagues thinking you’re a pain. Harvard Business Review’s Amy Gallo suggests these tips for choosing your workplace battles wisely.

1. Stick to issues that are important to the organization and affect productivity, quality of work or ethical issues.
2. Present a solution. You’ll just look like a whiner if you bring up a problem without also suggesting a solution—or at least a plan for coming up with a solution.
3. Consult trusted colleagues. People you trust will give you a good idea if the problem that’s bugging you is worth bringing up.

— Adapted from “How to Pick Your Battles at Work,” Amy Gallo, Harvard Business Review’s HBR Blog Network.