May 30, 2016
Managing the Naysayer on Your Team
Most
teams have at least one “opposer” — that person who always plays the
devil’s advocate. The opposer may be brilliant and driven, but their
pattern of critiquing and disagreeing can wear a team down. And yet
opposition is essential for effective, productive teams. So
what can a manager do to welcome a naysayer’s contributions without
personalizing what feels like an attack? First, understand that these
people almost never have bad intentions — they are usually trying very
hard to do something they see as valuable and crucial for the good of
the team. Encourage everyone on the team to share an opposing view to
normalize and operationalize dissenting opinions. Then really listen to,
consider, and evaluate the ideas. And ask everyone to articulate when
they are in agreement so their comments will be seen as
balanced. Ultimately, you should try to see opposing views as a sign of
team health.
