Disagreement Should Test the Decision

I don't expect everyone on a team to agree with every decision. I do want to hear the part they think we're getting wrong before we commit.

Disagreement should test the decision. That doesn't mean every objection wins. Sometimes two people can see the same tradeoff and still weigh it differently. A leader still has to make the call. But there is a difference between hearing disagreement and waiting for it to go away.

If someone raises a concern and the decision stays the same, explain what you heard and why you're moving ahead anyway. What risk are you accepting? What would make you revisit it? That gives people something more useful than "we've decided."

And after the decision, don't treat a person as disloyal because they were the one who pushed back. If they helped test the thinking and then carry out the plan, they did their job. The next time the team sees a problem early, you probably want them to say so again.