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