Keep your composure. If you want to gain people's respect, be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to take offense. Expect something like this to happen because easy to get caught off guard when you don't anticipate the worst. Things like this should always be viewed objectively and not personally. Now, let's say you're in this situation currently... Stay calm and professional and gently shift the conversation back to the main point for the client’s sake. After the meeting, reach out to that team member privately. More often than not, it's nothing personal and something that might need addressing within your processes or expectations. Your goal is NOT to force your authority but to get you aligned on how you present as a team.

If a team member challenges me in front of a client, I’d stay calm, acknowledge their perspective respectfully perhaps with, “That’s an interesting point; let’s discuss it further after the meeting.” This keeps the focus on the client and reinforces collaboration. Afterward, I’d speak privately with the team member to understand their viewpoint and share the importance of presenting a unified front to clients. By setting clear expectations for future meetings, we can foster a professional and respectful team culture that strengthens client relationships and reinforces team unity.

"Manager" doesn’t mean "Always-Right." If something goes sideways, the first question should be, "Why did this even happen?" If the answer turns out to be, "Oops, I was wrong," then - hey, maybe it's a good thing a team member spoke up. But if my colleague's out of line, then, believe me—there’s a post-meeting discussion coming more certain than gravity. Civilized, of course. Respect and authority should stem from a robust professional background and a proven track record, rather than from fear. Attempting to enforce respect solely through demands is unlikely to yield favorable outcomes.

In my opinion, if your team members have gone to the extent of challenging your authority in front of the client, you should go back and assess if you have been a good leader in the first place; this also includes the way you would treat your team members in front of the client. Merely addressing one situation would not solve the issue. The root cause (poor / questionable leadership) must be dealt with for making sure that the team members are not put in such positions where they would see challenging you in front of the client, would be only way!!