Leadership lesson – Give permission to challenge
What does this mean:
- People sitting at the meeting table should feel empowered to disagree with any point of view, especially if it is of the leaders in the room
Why is it important:
- It is not individuals who take the day, teams are the ones to bring success. Physiological safety is the secret of team’s success
- Unless the team feels they are empowered to speak their mind, physiological safety cannot exist.
How to do it:
- The leader should not share his / her opinion at the outset, so everyone feels comfortable to share their opinion
- Probe people to challenge the status quo
- Do not let anyone feel punished for challenging the status quo – ever
Trouble shooting:
It is possible you might sometimes face confrontation for the sake of it and not for improvement. In such a case:
- Time box the discussions and assert a decision must be taken before a set deadline
- Try to use as much factual data as possible
- If a decision is being taken against what the data says, bring back the discussion to deciding based on data
Reference material:
- How Google works by Eric Schidt
- Chapter – Decisions, the true meaning of consensus
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