6. Disagree and Commit

The Estee Show - Product Management & Business Insights

In the realm of leadership and decision-making, the phrase "disagree and commit" presents an intriguing paradox. It encapsulates both the potential for quick decision making and the challenges of maintaining team unity.

In this episode, we dive into the value of "disagree and commit" in leadership, and its impact on effective decision-making with four product leaders.

Vladimir's Stance on "Disagree and Commit":

Vladimir firmly supports the idea of "disagree and commit." He believes it's crucial in today's business landscape. Drawing from his own journey, including founding a company and working remotely, he emphasizes that it's not about mindlessly agreeing but rather about ensuring that everyone's voice is heard. Vladimir highlights the drawbacks of blindly following orders, such as disengagement and the loss of valuable perspectives. For Vladimir, "disagree and commit" strikes a balance. It allows individuals to voice their concerns while still maintaining forward momentum. In a culture that encourages open communication and respects differing viewpoints, this approach leads to better decision-making and a more motivated workforce.

Jack's Take on "Disagree and Commit":

Jack is "against" the idea of "disagree and commit." He views it as a team- exercise that can sometimes feel punitive, akin to a performance improvement plan (PIP). Jack expresses concern that this approach might convey to individuals that they don't align with the organization's thinking, potentially leading to feelings of exclusion and insecurity. Our conversation explored how this approach could stifle dissent, hinder innovation, and underscored the importance of promoting healthy debate for better decisions. We also considered its impact on company performance, recognizing that rigid adherence may not suit fast-paced industries. Jack stressed adaptability and logical, data-driven decisions when a chosen path proves ineffective, emphasizing effective problem-solving over adherence to a decision.

Luke's Perspective on "Disagree and Commit":

Luke firmly stands in favor of "disagree and commit," viewing it as a crucial element for fostering healthy teams. He highlights the importance of acknowledging that disagreements are a normal part of human interaction and problem-solving. While the ideal scenario is unanimous agreement, Luke recognizes that this isn't always attainable due to varying perspectives. "Disagree and commit" allows teams to make decisions and move forward transparently, even when not everyone fully agrees. Luke highlights the importance of psychological safety within teams, where individuals feel safe expressing dissenting views. He emphasizes the need to credit those who raise valid concerns and turn out to be right, promoting a culture of continuous improvement.

Brennan's Approach to "Disagree and Commit":

Brennan has a nuanced stance on the concept of "disagree and commit." Initially, he championed this idea on his teams but realized the flaw in his approach. He used to encourage open debate while inadvertently conveying a lack of receptivity to differing opinions. This led Brennan to rethink his leadership style, aiming to foster an environment where opinions could be freely shared without resistance. Brennan's perspective evolved after reading "The Fifth Discipline" by Peter Senge, which introduced the distinction between commitment and compliance. Brennan now believes that expecting everyone to fully commit may be unrealistic. Instead, he suggests "disagree and comply" or even "disagree but comply" as more respectful ways of collaboration within teams, emphasizing that this concept applies to both overarching visions and everyday decisions. In essence, Brennan highlights the importance of maintaining a shared vision within teams and respecting diverse perspectives while acknowledging that true commitment cannot be forced but must stem from individuals' freedom of choice.

Join us in exploring the dynamic world of decision-making and leadership through the lens of "disagree and commit" – and weigh in on whether this value fits into your leadership motto!

About the Guests

Brennon Martin is an entrepreneurial product manager whose experience as a product manager, technical consultant, and business leader provides a unique perspective to product-led growth strategies. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, with stints in San Francisco and Seattle, Brennon has now called Colorado home for almost 20 years. He is passionate about guiding start-ups, emerging, and established software companies toward revenue-driven portfolios that marry innovation and business objectives while sustaining profitability. Brennon is a product leader focused on fostering positive team cultures through operational excellence, cross-functional alignment and collaboration, and a drive for continuous improvement. He is also an avid traveler and occasional travel blogger at xnomadlife.com.

Luke Mundy is a Staff Site Reliability Engineer from Perth Australia with a passion for working at the intersection of people and software engineering. His career started on an IT Helpdesk for a small MSP but with the ambition of working in the games industry as a Software Engineer. Luke was instrumental in bridging the gap between development and operations teams when DevOps first swept over the industry and today is a key part of a team that builds and runs a highly successful social games platform providing entertainment to hundreds of thousands of players every day across North America.

Jack Coates is a passionate and committed product management leader, responsible for driving successful products from inception to sustainable growth. He has hands-on expertise in forming product strategy, leading international engineering teams, and building goal-oriented teams. Jack has worked for many years to improve IT security and operational awareness, from distributed visibility and control to data-centric analysis and automation.

Vladimir Nikolić born in Belgrade, Serbia - lived around 20 years in Berlin, Germany - finished Economy studies in Belgrade - coming from an entrepreneurial family - co-founded C2C and B2C e-commerce marketplaces as well as payment solution in Serbia with his brother, was up until recently the CEO of the company (which had up to 40+ employees, attracted investment of 1m+ EUR and had transactions of over 1m per year) - worked as project and process manager for a short time and am currently the Product Marketing Manager at babelforce.

Connect with our Guests

• Brennon Martin Website | xnomadlife.com

• Brennon Martin LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/brennonmartin

• Luke Mundy LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/luke-mundy

• Jack Coates LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/jack-coates

• Jack Coates Writings | Conflicts at Work

• Vladimir Nikolić LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/kapri81

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About Estee Estee Goldschmidt is a customer-obsessed, delivery-oriented, and data-driven product leader. With extensive experience in strategy, product, marketing in the healthcare and CPG industries, startups and corporate, she joins teams to solve complex revenue problems related to client conversion and retention.

Her motto for proof of concept is: test, reiterate, scale. Estee’s background is in a diverse set of fields ranging from founding startups to leading teams in multinational corporations.

• Website | www.esteegoldschmidt.com

• LinkedIn | www.linkedin.com/in/esteegoldschmidt/