Saturday, September 4, 2010

Debates In Business

Some view debating as bad. They envision nasty comments back and forth and there being a winner and a loser.

That might be so in politics or in structured debate challenges, but not necessarily in business.
In business, I believe debating is actually an empowering conversation - a good thing! :)

Debating is the flow of ideas. It's a place where ideas & information from both parties (or both sides) can flourish and topics and agendas can be solidified or finalized. There is nothing healthier & stronger in business than these 2 things alone!

On a personal level, there are even better aspects that comes from a debate. Your intellectional development is enhanced because you learn different points of view that might allow you to see things differently, or you learn an entire new set of data that you weren't aware of that the opposite party presented.

At times, you also utilize your negotiation skills because with certain topics, especially in business -it's not about right and wrong, it's about coming to a meeting of the minds, a mutual agreement, and perhaps a compromise on one party's part. Negotiation skills is one of the essentials for a business professional to be successful.  Great place to practice them is in a business debate. :)

Debates in business can often be referred to as a heated discussion or a challenging conversation. But with those negative words, comes some outstanding situations at times.

The values debate encourages - reason, tolerance, the careful weighing of evidence - are applicable in life. As you grow as a person, the more practice you have with these, you become more of your best self and thus become better for others. So these values should be cherished and nurtured.

Debate is what makes democratic societies so free and flourishing - rich in people driven thoughts, values and ideals. True democracy can not exist without debate.

There is no such thing as a debate without at least 2 passionate people coming to the table. The icing on this cake is that a debate inspires creativity and it re-charges passion! It takes ordinary topics or issues and brings explosive life to them!


And it also envokes a sense that anything is possible when two differing viewpoints get combined or when two people come together to address a topic or issue. It also sheds light on the understood message: that there is much to always learn, no matter how experienced you are, how old you are, or how knowledgeable you are on a topic.

So as you can see, what some would view as a negative situation filled with harsh words or underhanded tricks, (oops, that's politics :) ) is actually a positive, empowering and transparent action in business!

Now that you have my point of view - why not start a debate this week? Remember, you aren't stirring trouble, you are encouraging the open exchange of thoughts and ideas. Nothing could be healthier & more empowering for you or your business!

See what comes from it. :) See who is eager to participate & who shys away. See if you can finally fix that long term problem. See if you can figure out that way to align with another or that company you have always wanted to, or to solidify a partnership, or to once and for all, establish a collaborative work environment, etc.

The key to a solid & fair debate in business is you go into it with the mindset that something good will come from it, you might learn a thing or two, and you will keep it civil. If that is the driving & underlying message both sides begin the debate with, it should go quite well.

I would love to hear how this goes, so please share your stories with me!

“Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely.”
– Thomas Babington, Lord Macaulay

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