A Culture of Diverse Opinions

Ask yourself this question.

How many times have you heard managers say things like ‘we speak the same language’ or ‘you remind me of myself when I was your age’ to certain members of their team??

These things are often said in an endearing or complimentary way, but I think it’s time we changed that way of thinking. In fact I would go as far as to say that the best leaders should foster an environment in which they openly accept, when appropriate, a challenge to their opinion. If you’re the kind of leader that encourages ideas and free-thinking whilst allowing your staff to be involved with decision-making you will have a happier team, and your business will run a lot more smoothly.

You also need to be comfortable when persuaded to take a different path, rather than dig your heels in just because someone else has suggested something better.? If you have a member of staff full of ideas and ambition, nurture that and encourage it, don’t take it as a threat.?If people are frightened to voice their opinions I would suggest your culture is wrong.

Let me give you reason why it might be time to change.

1978 United Airlines Flight 173

United Airlines Flight 173 had a highly experienced crew with a captain who had flown 27000 hours as a professional pilot. The flight had 181 passengers on board and was heading from Denver to Portland, Oregon. A problem with the landing gear meant that the captain and crew spent over an hour in the air going through their emergency checklist and conducting various tests.

Whilst focusing on the checks and following the captain’s instructions no one spoke up about the fact that the plane was rapidly using up fuel.?The flight engineer was giving hints to the captain that the plane was low on fuel but never really spoke up about the fuel situation because the captain wanted to know what was going on with the landing gear. When the captain and the co-pilot realised how low on fuel they were, they declared an emergency and tried to land at the airport as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the plane ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a local neighbourhood. Of the 181 people onboard, ten people lost their lives.

In the aviation industry, the captain was very rarely challenged and in this instance there were catastrophic circumstances. In those days whatever decision a captain made would be final, without questions from the co-pilot or flight engineer.?

This tragedy changed the aviation industry for good and saw the introduction of Crew Resource Management - A system that enabled crew members to communicate far more effectively and without fear.

So let’s consider this example and change the way we accept challenging views. In fact let’s create a culture that encourages diverse opinions rather than always hiring people who all agree with each other.?

As Albert Einstein said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” so perhaps new ideas and challenges to doing things the way we have always done them should be actively encouraged.

When we look at the current recruitment situation it’s a tough environment so when looking to fill a role why not look for the qualities and attributes that you may lack, instead of being more impressed with people who think the same way as you? Then, from day one, encourage your new recruit to speak up when they see an alternative perspective.

To be a respected leader you must be open to hearing other people’s ideas without feeling threatened, so nurture a culture of openness and listen to your team members.

Every single one of them.