Value Differences Of Opinion

"Truth between candid minds can never do harm." --Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, 1791. ME 8:212 A difference of opinion is imperative. Everyone has a point of view and opposing thoughts should be welcomed as opportunities. Opposing views allow you to consider any faults or weaknesses in your plan. There might even be something in your plan that you completely overlooked. There is no harm in listening to another person’s thoughts, but there is a lot of harm in not listening. By shutting others out, you are telling them that their opinions aren’t valued. If you include them in the process, they are more likely to try to make things work. Shut them out and you risk rebellion. They may undermine what could work and instead make it fail. Good plans often fail when workers don’t endorse them and bad plans often succeed when endorsed. "Difference of opinion leads to enquiry, and enquiry to truth; and that, I am sure, is the ultimate and sincere object of us both. We both value too much the freedom of opinion sanctioned by our Constitution, not to cherish its exercise even where in opposition to ourselves." --Thomas Jefferson to P. H. Wendover, 1815. ME 14:283 Unfortunately, my career has involved managers unwilling to accept a difference of opinion. In fact, I have been labeled by some as “difficult to manage” for citing a difference of opinion. I have tried to explain that a difference of opinion is often beneficial to an organization. Imagine a place where everyone did the same, thought the same, and expected the same. Imagine that a single person, or even a few, dictated what would and would not happen without any difference of opinion. If they are off the mark, uninformed, or unwilling to see things from a different perspective, the company could be in for real trouble. Conformity, head bobbing, and required silence is death to any organization. Any productive company realizes the need for different perspectives. The best solution usually lies between these differences, where everyone is involved and feels valued. - - - - -   The Plant Manager once asked me if something would run on our machine. He wanted to transfer work from a manual unit to mechanization. This is usually a good idea, except in a few cases. The mail he wanted run was not machinable and would have caused mechanical problems. He did not like me saying that it would not run, but he said nothing to me. Instead, he told the other supervisors that I would never supervise again. I was only a fill-in supervisor at the time. He clearly did not value my opinion or my experience in this area. He that won't be counseled can't be helped. Benjamin Franklin   Another time, this same plant manager held a meeting for all managers to establish his expectations. During the meeting, he suggested that we deny all limited and light duty employees any overtime opportunities. Contractually I knew we could not do this if the work was within their restrictions. I let him know that hoping to avoid the repercussions of such a policy, but he was not interested in what I had to say. He maintained his position throughout the meeting, but subsequently withdrew this part of his plan. This plant manager had a huge ego and believed the level of your position determined your importance. He once told me that if he or any other higher-level manager was on the floor I was to drop everything I was doing and follow him around. He made me feel like a person of sub-par status. For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged, by better information or fuller consideration, to change opinions, even on important subjects, which I once thought right but found to be otherwise. Benjamin Franklin