Most bosses run from conflict like the plague. They seek harmony, social peace, and easy consensus. Big mistake. If no one on your team contradicts you, YOU HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM: EITHER YOU’VE HIRED CLONES, OR YOU’VE INSTILLED A CULTURE OF FEAR WHERE PEOPLE PREFER TO BE “AGREEABLE” RATHER THAN EFFECTIVE.
Leading isn’t about getting everyone to think like you; it’s about forcing everyone to think. If you want superior results, you need friction. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Where everyone thinks alike, no one thinks very much.”
Here’s a 5-STEP PROCESS FOR LEADING BY PROVOKING DISSENT.
- ASK QUESTIONS. A leader who doesn’t ask questions is deaf. Don’t ask closed questions seeking validation (“Everyone agrees, right?”). Ask questions that uncover the plan’s black hole. “What will hurt us the most about this strategy?”, “What data are we ignoring?”, “How would we go wrong if we implemented this today?” If you don’t explicitly invite disagreement, you’ll never have it.
- ACKNOWLEDGE. When someone dares to disagree with you, acknowledge their courage. Don’t take it as a personal attack. The moment someone says, “I don’t see it clearly,” validate their position: “Thank you for pointing that out; it’s a critical point we hadn’t considered.” By acknowledging dissent, you remove the stigma and transform conflict into a working tool, not an affront.
- EXPRESS GRATITUDE. Disagreement is a gift, sometimes wrapped in sandpaper. Appreciate the intellectual effort of those who have taken the trouble to think differently. Gratitude reinforces behavior. If someone saves you from a strategic error thanks to their disagreement, make sure they know you value their contribution. If the dissenter feels appreciated, they’ll tell you the truth again the next time you try to do something foolish.
- ACT. Disagreeing without action is just noise. Once the debate has exposed the vulnerabilities, act. Incorporate the criticism, adjust your approach, or, if you decide to stay the course, rigorously explain why. People don’t always need to be right; they need to feel that their arguments were processed and used to improve the final decision. If you ask for their opinion and then ignore the response, you’ve insulted them. As Albert Einstein used to say, “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change one’s mind when presented with new facts.”
- AMPLIFY. Don’t bury dissent in the office drawer. Amplify the voices that challenge the status quo. If a team member made a brilliant contribution that made us change direction, share it with the rest of the organization. Make the dissenter a benchmark of rigor. When the team sees that dissent is rewarded and disseminated, the culture of silence dies of starvation.
Consensus is the refuge of those who are afraid of being wrong. Dissent is the path of those who want to win. Stop looking for people who tell you yes and start looking for people who tell you how you can do it better. Because, as Mahatma Gandhi said,
“Disagreement is often a sign of progress.”
Which of these five verbs do you find most uncomfortable to put into practice in front of your team?
