Passionate people, fight. They fight for what they care about, to express their enthusiasm and to get others to see their viewpoint. They fight, because it really matters.
Good fights are fought with good words. They are real discussions about things of consequence. They happen in safe places, where violence is not a threat and we don’t have to be so cautious of how we phrase things that the message gets lost.
Good fights should be happening in your boardroom.
Your top people should be encouraged to discuss and debate an important decision whenever possible. Allowing people to battle it out means demonstrating that you care about their opinion, and results in them being more invested. The most successful companies have a team made up of people who are emotionally invested in what you are trying to do.
Providing an open forum for your people to fight also gives everyone an equal opportunity to present their case and convince others to their point of view. When given this opportunity, reasonable people find it easier to readily adopt the majority decision once the argument ends. This builds a stronger team in that everyone can move forward together with conviction.
When passionate people are allowed to fight for what they believe in, the resolution is then taken into their hearts, made a part of their passion and carried down to the front line with enthusiasm.
Great leaders understand that good teams must fight, as an essential part of building a strong company. Great leaders will cultivate strong, bright and opinionated executive members who have the strength to fight for their cause, the humility to accept defeat and the loyalty to move forward with fervor.
When’s the last time your team had a good battle? It might be about that time.
