“Bad news isn’t wine. It doesn’t improve with age.” — Colin Powell, American U.S. Army general, diplomat, and statesman

Are you intimidated by the idea of disagreeing with an executive in your company? Many engineers are.

You may feel that disagreeing with an executive will hurt your credibility, your chances for promotion, or even keeping your job. Done the right way, disagreeing with an executive when it is warranted will usually have the opposite effect.

Successful executives know that they don’t have all the answers. And they usually don’t tolerate “yes men and women.”

In fact, they prefer engineers who tell them the unvarnished truth, even when it conflicts with the executive’s own view.

Below we will explore three ways engineers can disagree with executives without damaging their credibility.

Align the Disagreement With a Shared Goal

Frame your disagreement around something both you and the executive want: successful delivery, customer satisfaction, safety, profitability, or reduced risk.

Rather than saying, “I disagree with that decision,” say, “I share the goal of delivering by October, but I see a technical risk that could prevent us from achieving it.”

This changes the conversation from engineer versus executive to both parties versus the problem.

The word “disagree” is distasteful to most people. It raises defensive walls between you and the executive you are briefing. Avoid using this word while briefing the executive.

Executives are often interested in increasing revenue, lowering employee turnover, and expanding the company. Appeal to these interests even when they conflict with the executive’s thinking, and they will listen with an open mind.

Research and guidance on disagreeing with higher-status colleagues specifically recommends connecting disagreement to a shared purpose. This shared purpose unites you and the executive around the end goal.

One way you can disagree with an executive without damaging your credibility is to align disagreement with a shared goal.

Another is to support your position with evidence and alternatives.

Support Your Position With Evidence and Alternatives

Executives are more likely to respect disagreement when engineers bring data not emotion.

Ben Ferguson, a podcaster, says, “There are two sides to every story, but only one side of facts.” Use these facts to support your story and recommendations.

Executives can’t disagree with the truth as long as they also view it as the truth. You have to make this truth “crystal clear.” Always present it in the language of the executive you are briefing. Don’t use engineering jargon.

Clearly distinguish facts, assumptions, estimates, risks, and professional judgment, while avoiding words such as “foolish,” “impossible,” or “short-sighted.” These last words build defensive walls with the executive.

Don’t stop at “This won’t work.” Explain why, quantify the consequences when possible, present alternatives, and make a recommendation: “Based on the test results, Option A creates a significant reliability risk. I recommend Option B because it reduces that risk while adding only two weeks to the schedule.”

You are being paid to make recommendations based on evidence. Your challenge is to tell the story about why the evidence supports your recommendation.

Two ways you can disagree with an executive without damaging your credibility are to align disagreement with a shared goal and support your position with evidence and alternatives.

A third way is to challenge the decision—not the executive.

Challenge the Decision—Not the Executive

Respectful delivery can be as important as technical accuracy. You might begin, “I see this somewhat differently. May I walk you through the data that concerns me?”

Asking permission to dissent and maintaining factual, non-judgmental language can make disagreement less confrontational.

There is a great book by Joan Detz entitled It’s Not What You Are Saying. It is How You Say It. The way you say something has an inordinate effect on whether people listen to what you are saying and whether they accept it.

This shows up in the conversations you have every day. Think of your conversations with your teenager, and you will get the point.

Once you have clearly communicated the evidence, consequences, alternatives, and recommendation, recognize that the executive may still decide differently.

The executive is paid to make these decisions. Once you have respectfully explained your recommendations, accept the decision and move on.

Professional disagreement builds credibility; repeatedly trying to prove the executive wrong can undermine it. As was previously mentioned, successful executives don’t tolerate “yes men and women.”

By the way, the word “wrong” is one of those words that put up defensive walls with the other person.

In his famous book How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie suggests the following when trying to influence others’ opinions: “I could be wrong, I often am, but have you considered this?” This phrase works in both your professional and personal life.

You are paid to give your best engineering recommendations based on the evidence you have uncovered. Your ability to do this will affect your future promotions.

Psychological-safety research highlights the organizational importance of environments where people can raise concerns and challenge assumptions despite status differences.

If you look at the most successful engineering companies, they will have this environment.

Three ways you can disagree with an executive without damaging your credibility are to (1) align disagreement with a shared goal, (2) support your position with evidence and alternatives, and (3) challenge the decision—not the executive.

Executives respect engineers who tell them the clear, unvarnished, and complete truth.

Tell the truth to power, and you will see yourself rising in your organization.

Call to Action

• Frame your disagreement around something both you and the executive want: successful delivery, customer satisfaction, safety, profitability, or reduced risk.

• Clearly distinguish facts, assumptions, estimates, risks, and professional judgment, while avoiding words such as “foolish,” “impossible,” or “short-sighted.” These last words build defensive walls with the executive.

• Once you have clearly communicated the evidence, consequences, alternatives, and recommendation, recognize that the executive may still decide differently.

“If we are all in agreement on the decision—then I propose we postpone further discussion … to give ourselves time to develop disagreement.” — Alfred P. Sloan, longtime president, CEO, and chairman of General Motors

References

• Gallo, Amy. “How to Disagree with Someone More Powerful than You.” Harvard Business Review, March 17, 2016. Discusses assessing the risks of speaking up, connecting disagreement to shared goals, asking permission to dissent, avoiding judgmental language, and respecting the decision-maker’s authority.

• Edmondson, Amy C. “Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams.” Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 2, June 1999, pp. 350–383. The study of 51 work teams established psychological safety as a shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking and connected it with learning behavior.

• Nembhard, Ingrid M., and Amy C. Edmondson. “Making It Safe: The Effects of Leader Inclusiveness and Professional Status on Psychological Safety and Improvement Efforts in Health Care Teams.” Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 27, No. 7, 2006, pp. 941–966. Examines hierarchy, professional status, leader inclusiveness, and employees’ willingness to speak up.

• Nembhard, Ingrid M., and Amy C. Edmondson. “Psychological Safety: A Foundation for Speaking Up, Collaboration, and Experimentation in Organizations.” The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship, Oxford University Press, 2012, pp. 491–504. Reviews evidence linking psychological safety with speaking up, collaboration, experimentation, and organizational learning.

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