Treat Pushback as Signal
Reframe pushback as information about a protected concern before responding.
The reframe: pushback is a signal about something being protected. Listen for the protected concern The first sentence may sound like a verdict: "too slow," "too risky," "not realistic," "we tried that." Underneath is usually a protected concern. Ask what the person is trying to keep safe: customer trust, team capacity, quality, autonomy, fairness, budget, or reputation. Acknowledge the concern before the conclusion Acknowledgment is not agreement. "That is a real risk to protect" is different from "You are right that the plan will fail." The first keeps the conversation open. The second may concede before diagnosis. LAARC separates these…
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