Welcoming opposing viewpoints. Disagreement is good.

Amiel Greathouse — byamiel.com
Bulletproof Writers
3 min readDec 7, 2018
Never be threatened by respectful opposition. Be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

First, be humble, sit down. 🤐

Your teammate begins to express disagreement with you. Listen to understand. Not just to respond. Let the words sink in, soak and process for a moment. This is your learning moment. It’s happening. This is no time to be uncomfortable. Ignore your instinctive emotion and start seeking to understand. Understanding deeply within your soul that what is happening at this very moment is really a gift for you. When every defense mechanism in your body is going off, be at peace.

Know when to rest. 🔇 💤

Sometimes the greatest way to say something is to say nothing at all. You do not need to continuously counter for your point to be well-made and impactful. Countering within a disagreement is only beneficial when it brings about greater clarity. You are a professional (a really good one), so do your part to keep it 💯. Your heart will guide you on the timing. Some circumstances might require extensive counters, stay calm. Let it unfold for as long as it remains healthy.

Be the first to extend your hand. 🤝 🙌

It is so important to walk away from any disagreement gracefully. Shake the hand of the person that just blessed you. Thank them and mean it. You just reaped major for yourself, because of what you learned. You may not know it yet, but it’ll make sense very soon. Trust me. This is the process of the universe working things out. Congratulations, you are now on the edge of a breakthrough. Can you feel it? You need to take whoever disagreed with you out for lunch, dinner or a coffee if at all possible. You will blow people’s minds with your new superpower. 💥 I call it forgiveness in business baby! 🤣 Ha!

Something is about to happen. ⚡

Disagreement creates momentum for greatness. It produces higher standards, stronger processes, and ultimately better customer satisfaction. Invite everyone’s voice to your table and be a gatherer of all. You will use what you have learned at this moment for guidance going forward. Be still. Let nothing disturb your own inner peace. Everything is a setup for your next best season.

Don’t lose the signal due to the noise. 📶

Being a good listener to the opposition does not obligate you to make a certain decision. You may be compelled over time to change your mind and that is 100% okay too. When you hear opposition, the noise goes down and you really get a better feel for what the signal is telling you. The signal quality improves throughout your journey. Eventually, the signal gets crystal clear. You’ll know. You are on another level, remember this. Go higher. Remember the common ground that you are already standing on together. Soar. 🦅

(Notice: Views expressed herein are independently those of Amiel Greathouse. Views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Amiel Greathouse’s employer. Absolutely no endorsement of any kind is implied.)

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Amiel Greathouse — byamiel.com
Bulletproof Writers

Passionate about CX and leadership. Specializing in high-performing teams, agent performance, and quality. All views expressed are my own.