I’m a Know-It-All! 7 Tips to Resist the Need to Be Right!
Are you a “know-it-all”? Sometimes the need to be right can be bigger than the need to be kind, correct, humble, or well liked. Today, Shiv Singh, founder of Savvy Matters and author of Savvy, shares 7 Tips to Resist the Need to Be Right...and tips to actually make sure you really are...
Ask yourself “what if the opposite was true”: It is not simply enough to ask people to be fair and impartial. Asking them to think about the opposite condition to their own conclusions forces them to reflect and it removes bias.
Appoint people to play “devil’s advocate”: When tasked with making a major decision, set up an alternative team whose responsibility is to justify the opposite conclusion. It will lead you to better solutions.
Form non-traditional allies within your company or among business partners and in the media - people who may not agree with what you do, but respect you and respect the truth even more. It will help remove bias in your own decision making.
Be thoughtful and constructive: Don’t state your correction as a negation of the lie. Introduce the contradictory facts in a thoughtful fashion. Use emotion and present the facts in a non-confrontational, constructive manner to have the most impact. Overcome your naive realism: Just because someone is an expert, doesn’t mean they’re always right. They can also suffer from cognitive biases like naive realism. Recognize the limits of the experts who are advising you and find ways to counter the biases at play.
Recognize your own biases: Widen the aperture of influences that you are exposed to. Find ways to more accurately determine your true competence in a given subject.
Be open to criticism. Find trusted people who can provide you with feedback in a way where the message is heard without it feeling like an attack. It is important to have people surrounding you who don’t agree with everything you say all the time.
Admit you are wrong: If you’re a leader, be willing to admit that you’re wrong sometimes. The more you project yourself as being self-aware, open to alternative viewpoints and willing to change when you’re wrong, the more your company will be too.
What do you think? Does this resonate with you? It sure did for me!!
Xoxox
