Diverse points of view are good
How to disagree professionally
Diverse views are critical to a healthy business environment. It eliminates group think and protects a business from incorrect decisions and strategic and operational failures that can have massive financial implications. The different paradigms of a methodical engineer, a risk-averse accountant, and a creative marketer viewing the same business situation from three very different angles optimises outcomes. This can bring friction.
Healthy friction is beneficial to business outcomes and requires self-control, maturity and professionalism to ensure differing opinions don’t derail into disruptive friction.
Disagreements are bound to happen when there are diverse points of view. Staying calm and focused on the issue at hand is essential to ensure discussions remain constructive.
Tactics to use
Making use of specific tactics when different points of view arise can assist in managing difficult situations. It helps keep the focus on the business issue at hand and constructively working towards a positive outcome.
Use these tactics as part of your professional toolkit:
- The Validation Pivot: “I see where you’re coming from. My concern is that this timeline might be too tight based on our current capacity.”
- The Curiosity Approach: “That’s an interesting approach. Have we considered how it might impact the half-year budget/the sales targets?”
- The Alternative View: “I’d like to offer another angle on this. From my perspective, we might see better results if we…”
- The Data-Backed Doubt: ” Our recent data shows a different trend….”
How not to do it
- The Direct Attack: ” You’re wrong about the data” (makes others defensive).
- The Dismissive Shut-down: “That doesn’t make sense” or “We already tried that”.
- The Absolute Judgement: ” That’s a horrible idea” or “This is a waste of time.”
- The Sarcastic Jab: “Are you kidding me?” or “You can’t be serious!”
Watch your body language – remain calm, maintain eye contact, and don’t make huge gestures or point at the person. Keep the focus on the topic, not the person.
Takeout: Encourage different perspectives; use it as an opportunity to look at a situation from different angles because it makes business sense.
“Where all think alike, no-one thinks very much,” wrote Walter Lippman, American author and journalist.
Globalis Eloquentia helps build professional mastery and excellence to enhance credibility and confidence in business dealings.