Challenging Conventional "Wisdom" -- April 5, 2006
After reading John McCain's interaction with members of the AFL / CIO during a campaigning trip on April 4, 2006, I was amazed at his eagerness to debate and even accept competing ideas from an obviously hostile audience. Even though it was a "painful" discussion, McCain refused to just walk-away (even though he threatened to) from disapproving listeners. However, this begged the rhetorical question, "What would you prefer, someone who agrees with you or someone who challenges your beliefs or views?" Most likely we'd choose to interact with individuals who share our sentiments and values.
However if we are seeking advice or needed insight on a key business decision or investment, are we not typically surrounding ourselves with advisors who have worked with us previously or supported our directives? Stating the obvious, for sustainable business directions we need objective thought leadership and insight. Yet if we examine the conventional wisdom of business decision making, we surround ourselves with personnel, consultants, and advisors who are indeed just like us. This singularity of thinking can lead to rapid confirmation of both good and bad decisions. How many times have we witnessed managers or entrepreneurs hire nearly identical personalities and skill sets?
Having been a global consultant for nearly 25 years, I can tell you it's always easier to agree with a client than disagree. However, this mind set is not in the best interest of the client, their shareholders or their survivability. When warranted and supported by objective information, dissonance must be voiced and debated. With the challenging of organizational or industry dogma, we often times discover innovations, new customer service approaches, and even dare I say, new sources for top-line growth and bottom-line profits.
Dogma can assist organizations to be consistent, but sometimes dissonance can lead to true innovative and better decision making resulting in market share, growth, and global competitiveness. Challenge the decision making processes and "vetting" of personnel to ensure you arrive at a superior result -- not just what was comfortable.
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