Invite dissent in a way that improves the decision without lowering accountability.
Dissent is only valuable when the leader turns it into information the team can use. Lower The Social Cost Ask for the risk before people have to interrupt. "What would make this plan fail?" is easier to answer than "Does anyone disagree?" Thank the signal before evaluating the solution. This protects candor at the moment it appears. Make The Dissent Specific Useful dissent points to an assumption, constraint, missing stakeholder, quality risk, customer risk, or ethical concern. Vague concern is a starting point, not the end. Ask, "What would we need to see to know whether that risk is real?"…
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