Stab Me in the Front

My mother used to say if you don’t argue every now and then you either aren’t trying hard enough or your heart just isn’t in it.  All too often we view disagreements as a bad thing. We are afraid sometimes to raise objections for fear of offending someone, or worse for fear of being “that guy”.  How many times have you walked away from a meeting and heard something like “I disagree with that decision” when that very same person neglected to raise their objections when they had their chance? This is terribly unproductive and often leads to at least one more meetings to sort through objections, and other trivial tangents often completely unrelated to the discussion at hand. 

 Or, in another case you may hear “Sally,  really PMO when she said blah blah blah”. I often respond with “Why are you telling me this? You really should be telling Sally.” Now, for sure Sally may just be a difficult weed in the garden, but more than likely Sally wasn’t attempting, nor was she aware that she offended you. It has been my experience that most people, with a few exceptions, just want to come to work, be productive, find some satisfaction in their work and go home.

The point is, as leaders it is essential that we create a workspace where people are free from the fear of reprisal for expressing their concerns or objections.   Further, we need to foster discussion that may upset folks on occasion and encourage people to check their egos at the door.   Only then can all avenues be exhausted and the best possible outcomes can be achieved.

We all have a job to do and, often with different objectives. So, I say stab me in the front. We can only work toward more productive outcomes when we know where we each stand. It builds trust and will certainly pay dividends moving forward.