Here’s a tough question for you.
When was the last time someone on your team pushed back on one of your ideas?
If it’s been a while, that’s a red flag.
You might be surrounded by yes-men, and that puts your decision-making at risk.
And that’s a problem.
Not just for you, but for your entire business.
Yes-men are comforting, sure.
They validate your opinions and make you feel you’re always on the right path.
But guess what?
They don’t help you grow.
They won’t call out your blind spots or point out the flaws in your plans.
If your team is just nodding along, you’re in an echo chamber, not a decision-making room.
Gallup’s research shows that great leaders make great decisions.
But here’s the kicker.
They don’t do it alone, and they don’t rely on agreeable teammates.
They surround themselves with a challenge network—people who aren’t afraid to call out bad ideas or show them a better way.
These people aren’t there to tear you down.
They’re there to push you to think sharper, act smarter, and be better.
Take Pixar, for example.
In 2000, they were on a winning streak.
Fresh off Toy Story and a couple of other hits, they could’ve coasted.
But instead, they brought in Brad Bird to challenge the status quo.
Adam Grant is typing now:
Notice what Brad didn’t do. He didn’t stock his team with agreeable people — who tend to be supportive and polite. Agreeable people make for a great support network: They’re excited to encourage us and cheerlead for us. Rethinking depends on a different kind of network: a challenge network, a group of people we trust to point out our blind spots and help us overcome our weaknesses. Their role is to push us to be humble about our expertise, doubt our knowledge, and be curious about what knowledge we don’t have…If you watch Brad argue with his colleagues…you can quickly see that the tension is intellectual, not emotional. The tone is vigorous and feisty rather than combative or aggressive. They don’t disagree just for the sake of it; they disagree because they care.
As a leader, it’s not enough to avoid yes-men.
You need to invite disagreement.
When you pitch a plan, you don’t want people saying, “Sounds great, boss.”
What you really want them to do is get out daggers and stab the plan, poking holes wherever they can.
You need a team that feels safe saying, “Hold up, I see a problem with this.”
It’s not about sinking your ideas; it’s about pressure-testing them until they’re bulletproof.
When you’re in a position of influence, people are often too motivated to impress you and less likely to speak up when they should.
Even Abraham Lincoln got this.
When he was elected, he filled his cabinet with the same men who ran against him.
Crazy, right?
Known today as his Team of Rivals, Lincoln surrounded himself with people who openly ridiculed and challenged him.
Why?
Because he knew that to make the best decisions, he needed the sharpest criticisms.
So, if no one on your team is saying, “Hey boss, I’ve got a better way,” you’re in trouble.
As Mark Sanborn put it, “In teamwork, silence isn’t golden, it’s deadly.”
PS. Do you struggle to set yourself apart from your competitors? Does your tone of voice lack a little personality? Either way, get in touch and I’ll help you become remarkable. Or get more communication advice that doesn't suck here.
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