This Is What I Should've Said

Have you ever heard a colleague say the above sentence or something like it during a get-together at the end of a meeting? In a situation such as this you ought to remind them not to bring up anything out of the room that they are afraid to say inside. What happens is we are afraid to be in a minority situation and thus we don't pipe up in the meeting, gravitating towards the majority position instead.

As a consequence you have to assert yourself in such a situation, for instance, "The majority view is not necessarily the best one for us moving forward. If somebody has a challenge to the way this discussion is developing, let's hear it so that we can discuss the different options."

Give Credit When Someone Challenges The Majority.

When somebody does come forward you have to give credit where credit is due, especially if they end up being in the minority of one. "I need to draw attention to how you, Tom, challenged us to think in a different way about this idea. We may well come around to your way of thinking in a few weeks. Let's all remember that we can be too quick to come to a conclusion sometimes and we should try and allow for situations like this in the future, where people like Tom keep us on our toes."

Nurture Innovation.

In any organisation where top performance is required the CEO must recognise those who are brave enough to put forward innovative ideas. Entrepreneurial and innovative thinking has to be nurtured and encouraged, so that it's not swept away by majority thinking. Great businesses are put together by those who are not afraid to question the majority view and put forward ideas and beliefs. If they feel that they are isolated they may retreat, but if they see YOU in their corner, their personal bravery has been rewarded.

When you get into this habit and then find that somebody later tells you, "This is what I should've said" - it's easier for you to correct them midstream when they know that you would've backed them up during the session itself.

Picking Them Up.

Sometimes, without naming names I have gone back into a session after lunch and indicated that some people may not be chiming in with what they really think. In other words, they need to be ready to say in the room what they will say outside. When you say this warmly and encourage others to get involved in bringing out ideas and concepts that challenge the normal way of thinking, you're likely to see an improved quality of debate.

Therefore, after lunch and in the afternoon session you're pushing people to be that little bit braver. If they take a risk and it doesn't come off well you will be there to pick them up, so that they won't feel as if they're going to crash and burn by themselves.


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Pete Ashby is the director of http://www.asaleader.com and specialises in profiling the virtues and vices of exceptional leaders. To learn more about key challenges for CEOs, Boards and Executive Teams => http://www.asaleader.com


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