Give it five minutes. →
it’s fine to disagree, it’s fine to push back, it’s great to have strong opinions and beliefs, but give my ideas some time to set in before you’re sure you want to argue against them. “Five minutes” represented “think”, not react. He was totally right. I came into the discussion looking to prove something, not learn something.
Being first doesn’t mean being right. Take time with your responses - no one will think worse of you for it.
Slow down, think it through and then respond in an argument. Conciseness and brevity are better than waffling on and if we don’t stop and think we waffle.
There’s also a difference between asking questions and pushing back. Pushing back means you already think you know. Asking questions means you want to know. Ask more questions.
Relax - and don’t try to win arguments. If you view it as a confrontation you’ll only reaffirm your beliefs and you’ll shut out all other possibilities. You’re not always going to be right.
There are two things in this world that take no skill: 1. Spending other people’s money and 2. Dismissing an idea.
So next time you hear something, or someone, talk about an idea, pitch an idea, or suggest an idea, give it five minutes. Think about it a little bit before pushing back, before saying it’s too hard or it’s too much work. Those things may be true, but there may be another truth in there too: It may be worth it.
