They Asked Me to Fudge the Numbers — What I'd Tell My 25-Year-Old Self About Standing Up to Leadership Every day, high-powered senior leaders ask a lot of their teams. Sometimes, we disagree but succumb to the pressure to say yes. Before you sell your soul, know you have options in how you respond.

Seventeen years ago, I worked for an organization that encouraged its employees to compromise their integrity and ethics. I felt tremendous pressure to fudge numbers and do things that weren't aligned with the company's core values (and my own). I was only 25, and I wasn't courageous enough to speak up about what I was seeing — so I simply left.

I promised myself I wouldn't ever work for anyone that pressured me to do the wrong thing; a promise that I kept. However, I've also learned it's not uncommon for employees to periodically feel pressured by their leaders. I've also learned there are several effective things employees can do when this happens instead of just walking out.

Related: My Leadership Was Tested Twice, and Both Times — I Failed. Here's What I'll Never Do Again.

1. Ask questions

When we're asked to do something by a senior leader, especially one we respect, it can be tempting to say yes without pushing back. Most of us want to be seen as aligned with the company's direction — but failing to express our concerns is a mistake.

Over time, doing things we don't agree with leads to resentment and hostility. If you don't feel that the decisions being made or deadlines being set are the right ones, speak up. If expressing dissent feels too difficult, start by asking questions to understand your leaders' intent, thought process and goals. You can start by saying something like: "I really want to make sure I understand our objectives here. Can you share a bit more about what we're trying to accomplish by doing this?" or "I want to ensure I'm completely aligned with our direction. Would you mind talking a bit more about how we made this decision and why we feel this is the best timeline for completion?"

Asking questions like this shows that you care enough to ask and forces them to think about their true positions. When that happens, you discover whether or not there are shared values and if their heart is in the right place. You also might get valuable information you didn't have before on why or how a decision was made, which may change everything.

2. Refer back to the company's vision, mission or core values

If after asking questions, you still don't agree with what you're hearing, ask yourself why. Almost always, employees feel unaligned when they get the sense that decisions are not congruent with what the company stands for. If you have concerns with what you're being asked to do, determine if it's because it violates core values like accountability, fairness, teamwork or respect. If it is, point that out.

It's far more effective to tell a senior leader that you feel the direction isn't aligned with the company's vision, mission or values than to say you simply don't agree or don't want to move forward. You can start by saying, "I know one of our core values is transparency, which means we're honest and straightforward in all that we do. But this decision to withhold information seems to contradict that, so I'm really struggling with it. Can you help me through that?" If you show up by simply saying you're struggling to understand and want to learn, you won't pose a threat to strong, effective senior leaders who always care about what their best people really think. If positioning your concerns this way is a problem, you may not be working for strong, effective leadership.

Related: Your Values Can Be Compromised When You're Under Stress. Here's How to Get Them Aligned Again.

3. Make a case for what you'd like to see happen instead

When senior leaders apply pressure, it doesn't always come from a sinister place. Often, great leaders have big aspirations for those around them — as they should. It's literally their job to think and dream big. Unless others tell them that something can't be done (or can't be done within a certain timeframe), it's not uncommon for them to hope they can set the world on fire in days.

If you feel that an ask is too big or too fast, try making a counteroffer. You might say, "I hear you'd like us to complete this task by next weekend, but I fear that will cause us to rush and compromise quality. For us to do this right, I think it'll require four weeks instead of two. How do you feel about us completing this by the end of the month instead?"

4. Talk with your boss alone

Sometimes, it's hard to be the naysayer in a group setting. If your senior leaders are on a crusade of excitement about what's to come, it can feel like career suicide to be the only one raising their hand and surfacing these issues.

Sometimes, your chances of being heard are better if you broach the conversation afterward privately. You might wait an hour or a day and say: "I've been thinking about what we discussed in yesterday's meeting, and I realized I have some questions and concerns. Could we meet later today or this week to talk about these? I want to make sure I'm in lockstep with you on this and realized I should share how I'm feeling." If you're a top performer and your senior leaders care about your input, they'll want to hear what you have to say.

Related: Check Out Amy Chambers' YouTube Channel For Motivation Content

5. When all else fails, turn to HR

It's not uncommon for us to feel that HR is the enemy, but the best HR professionals are partners, allies and sounding boards for both management and employees at all levels. Consider bending the ear of your HR representative. You might say: "I'm not here to file any sort of complaint, but this happened the other day and I feel a bit uncomfortable. I want to solve my own problems and know you're an expert in workplace relationships. What advice do you have for me? How do you recommend I proceed?" HR representatives can often offer a fresh perspective to employees who are planning crucial conversations and want to build better relationships. Truly courageous individuals are both humble and brave enough to ask experts for feedback on how to proceed — and HR can be a great place to start.

Before you just say yes to anything, remember you have these options. Using some or all of these practices gives you an opportunity to use your voice, learn something and potentially teach something, too. When these things are done effectively, senior leaders often alter their expectations or offer a compromise. I've found it's those who are willing to do these five things that become the future senior leaders themselves.