Debate; It’s Cheap and It’s Productive
It’s ironic. I had this list of topics to write about and the subject today is about the importance of debate. It just so happened that this morning is also one of the very few times I’ve been trolled on Quora. The number one rule is never feed the trolls. Yet, what I’m writing about, is the importance of debate in a company. Hmmm… what we once called a, “coinkydink.” How do I write about the importance of debate, when I’m dealing with trolls?
I love debate and I’m willing to defend an idea. Some may even call it “defensive” if I do, but what’s the alternative? If you can’t debate a winning argument, how will the best ideas ever prevail? If people don’t debate, how do you combat pluralistic ignorance? I’ve written about pluralistic ignorance before and watching it in action is really something to behold. The only means by which to fight groupthink is though the debate of ideas and concepts. Right now I’m ignoring this individual because so far, they have virtually no followers and don’t answer questions, so I suspect they are there to just vent.
I’ve studied failures for years and I’ve written extensively about that subject too. I’ve covered it so much, writing about this topic is a little bit like threading the needle, so I’ll stick with the central point, and that is that debate is healthy in a company and I encourage it. Too many companies consider it a weakness. They want diversity and then do everything they can to stifle disagreement, especially with management. This is how you get pluralistic ignorance to become a force in the company.
The best way to have a healthy company is to encourage debate. Don’t silence it. Bring out the ideas and argue about them at times, but in the end, commit to a direction and go. The larger the company, the more there will be disagreement about ideas and direction and people will leave. It’s normal. Not everything I do or say is going to cause people to agree. While it’s a nice wish, it’s not a realistic goal. What is a realistic goal is good decisions.
I went to a college that once encouraged debate. That was a core reason why I chose the school in the first place. I was a student who wanted to be learning something new and interesting and so I thought going to the most radical, mind bending school I could find, would be a healthy thing. It was when they allowed debate and they would get ruckus at times. But, over time, it influenced how I think and it forced me into better articulation skills. I also think it improved my salesmanship. That school began to shout down debate and it’s now it’s a mere fraction of its former self.
It was my learning how to champion an idea that helped me become a better entrepreneur. My willingness to defend ideas and to go after new ways of solving problems is what led to what success I’ve had. It’s never been about going with the flow. It’s always been about looking for real solutions to problems and confronting groupthink and pluralistic ignorance.
I think about ENRON a lot and how that could happen. It’s those who stood up that eventually brought down that fraud Theranos. They should go to jail for what they did to those who did stand up to the deception. There is a classic case where a company censored debate, and look at the result. It otherwise would have died a long time ago with far less damage to everyone involved, including those advancing the fraud.
Debate can sometimes leave you feeling exposed, and subject to criticism, but this is a part of life and it’s a lesson worth learning early. Learning how to debate and stand up for ideas will do nothing but help you build that fantastic company and for those who want to be better companies, it’s a simple cheap way to improve your company that can produce outstanding benefits in return.