Disagreement can Help Connect the Dots for Better Decisions
Red Diamonds Features is an interview-rich publication with smart sources from different fields and professions that converses on topics related to our professional and personal lives, such as communication, decision-making, behavior, conflict, trust, better problem solving, courage, resilience, reputation and wiser, more successful crisis management.
“Find the most believable people possible who disagree with you and try to understand their reasoning.”
Ray Dalio
This recommendation might sound good in theory yet can prove undesirable and difficult emotionally to accept and implement. However, the challenge, hard work and commitment could prove highly valuable and worth pursuing.
“Leaders and employees alike, committed to moving their career, profession or industry forward should seek out those people in their lives that offer the thought-provoking questions, opposing opinions and foster challenging conversations,” says Leanne E. King, President and CEO of SeeKing HR.
As confident — or overconfident — that we can be personally or in our teams, there remains risk of not seeing all that would be beneficial to recognize and understand.
“The ability to research, synthesize information and form conclusions on your own time is safe,” King says. “Looking someone in the eye and taking the energy required to process an opposing viewpoint requires interpersonal strength, self-efficacy and patience.”
Exercising curiosity (and not for confirmation bias), insight and wisdom is natural for many yet not all people. The requirements to move into this type of committed, practiced, skilled mindset can vary.
“Foundationally, all people are different. Every person provides value. Honing in on the value proposition of a person, likewise in business, you can begin to connect the dots,” King says. “Connecting the dots is part of a process, a process that is core to decision making and allowing yourself to see and ‘think’ different perspectives.”
This is better done through sustained curiosity and looking more expansively and deeper into at the intellectual resources surrounding you or available outside a current team.
“Keeping an open mind and allowing yourself to look at individuals who may have the missing dot gives you the freedom to expand your own horizon. Looking at the world for its possibilities, not just its parameters is key,” King says.
Gaining new insights that are necessary or critical may result in a challenge we’re not always prepared to experience.
“The real value should be in listening, learning and growing while accepting that the perspective you seek may conflict with your core beliefs or are perpendicular to your experiences,” King says.
Humility and learning can lead to greater accuracy and the confidence that better or best decisions are being made. That means that overconfidence, recklessness or perception of it will likely not be proven later.
“What we believe and how we make decisions is core to each individual based on their experiences, both personal and professional,” King says. “Balancing confidence and overconfidence in decision making takes time, trial and error. The balance comes from the finesse of maturity, being self-aware and a minimum level of emotional intelligence.”
“Find the most believable people possible who disagree with you and try to understand their reasoning.”
Ray Dalio
Disagreement can be helpful, allowing us to better capitalize on additional brain power and perspectives and make more wise, protective and advantageous decisions. Even if we go with the initial plan, seeking disagreement and the reasoning behind it can prove a worthy stress test for what we believe.
Michael Toebe authors and publishes the weekly Red Diamonds Newsletter, Red Diamonds Features and Red Diamonds Essays (all on Medium) and hosts the Red Diamonds Podcast. He is a specialist for reputation, professional relationships communication and wiser crisis management.
