Agree to Disagree in Meetings: Positive Conflict
Jun 30
Author’s Note: This is the first entry under the Leadership Principles Category which I shared in my previous post.
One of the things I love about the Management Committee Meetings (MANCOM) that we have at Level Up Inc. is that the room turns into a civilized royal rumble each time we discuss major issues. I really have to give it up to our CEO, Jane Walker, for allowing all the members to freely share their insights, which can be opposite of the view of the person presenting. Yes, tempers can flare up and the volume and tone of voices can also increase. However, we all understand that we agree to disagree during meetings so that can come up with the best ideas for the company. Some thoughts, experiences, and recommended reading after the break.
Through the Fire
Ideas are like swords – they need to be refined, burned, and sharpened for the best possible blade to come out. As the project owner, you’ll probably be biased towards your program to the point that you’ll be blind to some of it’s flaws. Also, you can’t expect the Marketing person to have a full grasp of the impact of his program with other departments like IT, Sales, Finance, Project Management, etc. In good meetings, you need an open mind to handle the conflict, especially if you’re the project owner.
Speaking your mind, in a tactful manner, will also reduce stress in the long run. Why? Let me ask you this question. How many times have you heard your co-worker go out of a meeting room, pull you aside, then rant to you about the idea of your other colleague? If you have a problem with the idea being presented in the meeting, speak up! Share your thoughts. Don’t be afraid to let everyone know what you’re thinking especially if you sincerely believe that your idea can help the company move towards a better direction.
Agree… Disagree… and Agree
“Agree to Disagree” is not the complete statement. It should be “Agree to disagree and then agree.” What do I mean? Pretty simple actually. After debating on an idea or program, make it a point to support the collective’s or CEO’s final decision after. As a member of the team, it’s your responsibility to support the project, without having the dreaded “I told you so” attitude.
Why I don’t like Boring Meetings
The meetings I really don’t like going to are the one-sided ones that just have a presenter doing all the talking and the direction with no room for engagement and interaction. If these kind of meetings are happening in your group, then I urge you to start talking to your subordinates or your boss so that everyone will have a voice… or else you’ll end up with a dull sword that can barely cut through butter.
If you’re in a team, it is your responsibility to share your ideas. If the idea that was approved failed and you had a better one that you didn’t bring up, then it’s ultimately your fault as well. Being a good team doesn’t mean world peace.
Recommended Reading: Death by Meeting
One of my favorite writers is Patrick Lencioni. His book “Death by Meeting” has made a profound impact on the lives of millions of managers and supervisors. If you plan on going up the corporate ladder, I strongly urge you to invest in this book and read it. There are so many insights and learnings that you’ll pick up which you can readily apply to the workplace. In fact, most of the stuff above was discussed in more detail in his book.
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love the post!
Good insights!
Nice article you have here. Very nice blog too.
This might be too much but can I ask permission to use your layout? If it’s a ‘yes’, can you share to me the HTML?
Hope you’ll consider.
More power
hehehehe. Parang alam ko to a!
Yup, meetings can be an adventure
Nice post! Keep it up.
Great post! I’m also looking for ways to cause positive conflict in my meetings as well. Glad to see that others feel the same way. Also, is your CEO following the four meetings outlined in Death by Meeting? We are trying it for my team with some successes and some failures. Would love to hear your take on these different meetings.