Think Again

I was reading (or listening to) the Adam Grant book Think Again this week. It’s a book about letting go of our preconceived notions and ways of doing things and being willing to re-think how and why we do things, as well as re-think our own opinions and even convictions by listening to the thoughts of other people.

One phrase in particular struck me … “The opposite of conflict is not agreement. The opposite of conflict is apathy.”

Conflict in a team, a community or a family can be good … it can be productive and lead to re-thinking how we do things. As long, of course, as the conflict, or conflicting ideas, are presented clearly and respectfully. This could look like a team member pushing back about the schedule for week, or about a change in process or service you are considering. Maybe they are right …. And maybe (more likely) they are partly right, and you need to listen, take suggestions and “re-think” your original directive, taking into account the thoughts of someone else, even if they conflict with yours. Those team members --- the ones who will think through a procedure or process and come to you with ideas --- those team members are at least caring about what they do and the what you do.

The team members who should be more concerning to you are those who simply don’t care …. Who are neither in agreement or disagreement (conflict) with your culture, your policies, your processes, but are just there and pretty much apathetic to whatever comes their way. Those are the “culture robbers” or to quote the Energy Bus book, the “vampires” who suck the energy out of the bus (or out of the community, your company, even your family!)

I encourage you to look at and “re-think” those who seem to be always wanting to do something differently or are in conflict with the existing procedures or your directives. Do they bring value, and should you be listening to their thoughts? Or are they simply "culture robbers" and complainers? Can you work with them? Can you coach them and give them opportunities to express conflicting ideas in a positive way and environment.? Can you all work together to think again about ways of doing things, ways of communicating, and ways of elevating your community together? Typically (and there are some exceptions) people will argue with you about something because they care about it ... because it matters to them. You want the people who care, even if that means you have to re-think your approach a bit.

It’s good for all of us to step back and think again from time to time. Would love to hear some of the things that have caused you to “think again” and maybe change a system or approach recently!

By the way, the Adam Grant book is a good one if you're looking for something to read, and was actually recommended by a keynote presenter at the NCAL convention last year. And if you haven’t read the Energy Bus by Jon Gordon, you really should. Quick read with fun examples and you could easily use it as a basis for leadership team discussions as well.

Wishing you lots of opportunities to think again and keep growing and getting better!