Why disagreement is a good thing

She’s tough, stylish, and somewhat scary – but I like her strength, passion and fortitude.

Anna Wintour is a fashion icon like no other.  Renowned as the editor of Vogue, the inspiration for the popular book and film The Devil Wears Prada, and for her straight-talking, no-nonsense approach, she’s a woman who is both revered and admired.

Anna Wintour has been the editor-in-chief of American Vogue since 1988.

I recently read an article where Wintour declared she looked for strong employees, who are not afraid to oppose her views.

It reminded me that as leaders, we not only need to encourage people to disagree with us, but we also must provide a platform which allows the free exchange of ideas to happen.

If your employees, team members, or colleagues, seem reluctant to offer conflicting opinions to yours, then it might be time to ask yourself the following questions:

Am I giving people enough opportunity to discuss their ideas with me?

How have I reacted on previous occasions, when someone disagreed with me? Do I listen with an open mind or do I shut them down?

How often do I change course after listening to another’s viewpoint?

Am I exuding a ‘too tough for comment’ persona?

Are you exuding a too tough for comment persona?                     Image Source: Flickr Commons

If any of these questions resonate with you, you may be creating an environment conducive to ‘group think’ and it may be time to take stock, and re-evaluate this area of your leadership.

Some ideas for encouraging varied viewpoints and healthy debate include:

·         Adopting a self-imposed ‘listen with an open mind’ mantra before any meeting

·         Creating processes in meetings which encourage divergent thinking such as brainstorming or structured rounds.

·         Asking others’ opinions before offering your own

·         Regularly adopting questions which actively encourage debate, such as “If we were to play devil’s advocate to this/my idea, what would we say…?”

As Mahatma Gandhi once said – “honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.”