↗️ You are Wrong!

Here’s a simple tip that has saved me from many unnecessary escalations.

Imagine you disagree with someone’s view.

A common thing to say is:

“I think you are wrong. And that’s because…”

The predictable effect?

It comes across as a personal attack to their intelligence, status, even identity.

It stings. Why? We suggest that we know a truth about them (what is right or wrong) that they don’t know themselves.

Here’s an alternative:

“I have a different view here. Can I please explain?”

Here, we accept the other person’s view as true for them. We don’t start the debate by justifying a snap conclusion. Instead, we offer dialogue. We explain and understand, rather than convince and persuade. It’s much more likely that a constructive debate follows.

Does it work in all cases? No. Constructive debate is reciprocal. However, respecting the other person’s starting point in a debate is in OUR control.

It takes humility to have strong opinions, loosely held.

Btw, this is also a simple example how a trained Coach can lead with a neutral, centred approach, seeking to understand first in order to make better decisions. It’s a tiny example from the vast

Leader Coaching toolkit that I teach!

I am currently looking for up to 5-10 people to join the 5th Leader Academy Cohort (68h, global, online) that starts in August 2022.

Are you curious? Just hit ‘reply’ and write ‘tell me more’ 🙂

Have a great, productive week ahead!

Maik