In today’s society, opposition seems to be everywhere. Many see opposition as something to avoid or overcome. Afterall, someone opposing us stands between us and our objective. Increasingly, this leads to argumentative stances and win/lose conversations. Regardless of how we feel about opposition as a societal issue, that same example can potentially poison our organizations. Here are five reasons why leaders must welcome opposition rather than avoid or suppress it.
The Benefits of Welcoming Opposition
Welcoming opposition means asking for, listening to, and acknowledging the perspectives of others who might disagree with you. But disagreements don’t have to be a competition of right and wrong. Choosing to hear it as another perspective rather than a competing idea to conquer helps you truly listen and value the opposition. Even if we don’t ultimately agree or change our opinion or decision.
When we welcome opposition, we:
Gain new perspectives
Hearing other opinions opens up the possibility of learning something and even changing our minds a little bit. This is probably the most obvious benefit we gain when we welcome opposition.
Make better decisions
New information might improve our decision. But even if we don’t change our minds, we have new perspectives on both sides. We know what people think, how they feel, and what matters most to them. This gives us a better chance of the decision being supported by others, even if they don’t completely agree.
Build engagement and ownership
As a leader, welcoming opposition and resistance shows others we care about their ideas and value them. If you want to build engagement and support for your ideas, keep an open mind and heart. Ask others to share their perspectives, even (and maybe especially) if they differ from yours.
Expand trust
Listening to peoples’ ideas builds trust with them. And let’s be honest, not everyone has had a leader who would really listen to their ideas. People want a leader they know, like, and trust. Listening to their ideas is one of the tangible ways we can build trust with them every day.
Change culture and collaboration
For a culture of high collaboration, you need the team to share their ideas without fear of retribution or rebuke. And the best way to create that is to model it as a leader.
Each of these benefits on their own are reason enough to welcome opposition from others – especially those on your team. And while acknowledging and hearing the opposition might improve your results, the welcoming act alone might be even more powerful.
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