Constructive conflict and debate requires many ideas as well as greater comfort with ambiguity.
Week 16: Constructive Conflict & Debate
Traditional leadership:
In the past, “innovative” ideas came from the top or from those who provided “favored” ideas. People tended to go along to get along. Ideas were evaluated based on who said them.
A fresh approach:
Today, A
Bring it to life:
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- Robust Discussion. Catalyze robust discussions about ideas with honest feedback and iteration in the interest of improving and expanding ideas.
- Debate Ideas. Challenge yourself and others regularly to debate all sides of an idea or position.
- Accept Ambiguity Around Ideas . Manage your own anxieties about conflict. Lean into ambiguity instead of avoiding it.
- Focus on Ideas, Not the People Who Have Them. Point out when debates become about people instead of ideas.
- Think Contrarian. Challenge employees to take a position opposite to their own and describe its merits.
- Respect Each Other. Encourage respectful dialogue. It is okay to take breaks when a conversation becomes too heated.
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Next week: Creative Agility.