“I think I have a bad mindset.”
One of my engineers said this during a 1:1. He looked unsure. The reason?
He challenged a teammate’s idea about our product focus. Now he felt guilty → worried his disagreement hurt the team.
This isn’t a bad mindset—it’s the start of a strong one.
I told him: chasing perfect harmony kills teams. Too much agreement means groupthink. You end up shipping safe, unimpressive products. Progress dies in rooms where everyone just nods.
What matters is how you disagree. We set clear, simple rules. You argue the idea, not the person. You listen. You explain your thinking. You commit together once the team decides.
Measured conflict, inside these lines, drives progress. It keeps you honest. It pushes everyone to do better work.
High-performing teams don’t avoid conflict. They get good at it.