Leadership and Dissent

If you want to be a strong leader you have to have people around that challenge you and your opinions; push your buttons and speak up when they don’t agree with your ideas. Leadership and dissent are a necessity in the world of running a business. Especially in regard to running a store. I have witnessed many managers view those with differing opinions as a thorn in their side and oftentimes those employees were coached out of a job. Why? Because the “leader” didn’t like being second guessed. Seems oddly familiar, right?

Although it can be incredibly difficult to manage people who are constantly judging you and questioning your every move, it is important to remember that these people are not in your shoes and don’t always understand the gravity of certain situations. However, they are there to impact your thinking positively and push you to be a better version of yourself. You cannot have strong leadership without dissent. You just can’t. For anyone who says otherwise, they probably have never been in a leadership role or they have probably never had great leadership in their careers to relate to. Just because you hold a manager or business owner title doesn’t mean you are a true leader. Many people get that confused. A true leader inspires growth in position, personal development and encourages people to do and be the same for others.

So…how do you embrace the opinions? How do you find that special someone to have by your side that isn’t an ass kisser? Well, that’s a good question and one where the answer is…time. Many managers and business leaders will tell you, myself included, that an impactful dissenter is not hard to find, but hard to believe in and trust. Trust being the more important word. They can be a person that holds some authority in your business, or in my case, several sales associates that gave me honest feedback on a daily basis and I trusted them with certain decisions. Age never matters, as some of the wisest people I have had by my side are 15 years younger than myself. Thieir life experience has brought strong opinions and concerns to the forefront. 

These employees are not necessarily “sheep” in your stores’ world, but they do follow you. They believe in your purpose and maximize their efforts to support the business processes you have developed. They also share feedback when something is not working and have the courage to tell you when you are JUST PLAIN WRONG.  Every person in a position of leadership should have one. Two is best, but one is enough to right any path. Be careful!!! You never want to find yourself in a predicament where an employee is undermining your every move. They suck the life out of your business; you spend more time putting out fires from their impulsive mistakes and lack of judgment then empowering those same people to rise up and see the bigger picture. 

How do you differentiate? Again, time. The ugly truth always shows itself. Usually, they are the first to report you to a superior with exaggerations and falsehoods. They prey upon others to join their cause with a quid pro quo mentality. Often, they become the best of friends with newer managers or employees and use their influence to adopt a negative outlook of who is in charge. This type of dissenter has only one goal in mind…to have your title. They usually have never held a decision-making position and they feel wronged by you for some reason. It’s the “the grass is always greener” mentality. When their theatrics don’t play out, they usually leave. Yet another sad reality in running a business as they were probably the one you were developing to be the next you and they grew tired of waiting. Being a leader means you don’t take it personal. You wish them well, move on, grow from the experience and go back to empowering and building. 

Dissent will have many impacts on a business, but you are looking for open communication and an emotional intelligence that will build upon the belief of a positive end result not only for your business, but your business’s reputation and culture. Leading by example is not always enough, but leading with the courage to change your personal dynamic can be. Leadership and dissent should be the hallmark of a stores’ success. If you aren’t growing through differing ideas, then no one else will.