When people fight over ideas and opinions, the best results are developed. But here's some tips for leading a good fight at the workplace:
- Make it clear what the problem is and prevent straw man fallacies
- Don't prevent people from asking stupid questions and making crazy suggestions
- Pay attention to comedians who hide behind jokes and make sarcastic comments and tease others constantly. This can go too far sometimes, so watch out for it
- Silence is your worst enemy (see:meetings and opinions)
- Watch people's reactions and behavior (should have taken that course on psychology)
- Take care of newbies from personal attacks. If new people start on the wrong foot, it can thwart their experience forever
- Prevent people from labeling others as idea killers. If someone has something to say, they better bring it up in the discussion and not back-channel talk after and call others idea-killers
- Do backstage work after. Soothe others who were personally attacked and gave in to others dominant attitudes
- Exclude un-emotionally intelligent from the discussions. Their presence makes it impossible for others in constructive conflict
adapted via: Karl weick
