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There is a discussion between you and an employee of yours.
It is a well-made argument. They didn’t come to you with judgments… they came with actionable feedback.
And, you know you are going to decide to go in a direction they don’t want.
This is a critical moment that can go a few different ways. They can feel heard, believe their opinion counts, and disagree-and-commit, and y’all thrive together! Or they can feel ignored, believe their opinion doesn’t count, and seek commiseration with others (and therefore spread negativity throughout the organization).
High stakes right?
How do you achieve the first, and avoid the second?
- Active Listening (ensure you understand, and they know they are heard)
- Establish Context (most disagreements between reasonable people is because a lack of shared context)[1]
- Agree on the conditions that would cause us to rethink this decision
[1] Anytime we disagree, there are a combo of three reasons:
- Difference in context (information)
- Difference in guiding principles / goals
- Difference in judgment
Sometimes the reason is unknowable, but I suspect it falls into one of these three
I theorize that disagreements at work – about work – are almost always the result of the first 2. So sharing publicly as we work through disagreements, are precious, because if done well, they can have a major positive impact.