It's contingent on leaders to make disagreement safe. But for most of us, disagreement doesn't feel great.

So, managers, how do we get better at accepting healthy disagreement? A quick thread of things I have to remind myself:

1/ It's not an argument. If you're looking for an argument, that's what you'll find. If you're looking for better/different ideas, that's what you'll find. Those who are best at encouraging alternate viewpoints are typically the ones who are the most intellectually curious.

2/ It's not about your ideas. Your job as a manager is not to *have* the best ideas, it is to *cultivate* the best ideas from your team, whether they are yours or not. Success is when the *team* has the best ideas, not you.

3/ It's not about your short-term comfort. Disagreement is like physical therapy. It can be painful in the short term, but we do it to make ourselves stronger and better in the long term.

4/ Changing your mind is good. It is a sign of growth. If you're concerned about being wrong, ask yourself: would you rather be wrong in the past or be wrong now? /end