Too many managers think that they have to know everything, to have all the ideas and be right all the time. Not so. A manager’s role is to get the best from all their staff and to do the best thing for their staff and the company.
If you have 8 people that work for you that’s 8 more sets of ideas and experience than you have. Often those people know more about the detailed working of an organisation than senior management.
No one person can have all the ideas, and people who think they do have all the right ideas are frequently wrong.
When I take over a team I tell them that I don’t have all the ideas and that I am not always right and that it’s their job to give me their ideas and to tell me when I’m wrong. Of course initially they look at me sideways, but after one person has piped up and disagreed they realise that I mean it.
When you are contradicted, something great happens. You have a dedicated opportunity to persuade someone else of your point of view. It gives you the opportunity to examine your opinion and to verbalise the justification.
But very importantly it gives the other person the opportunity to do the same. If you both articulate and listen effectively, someone will change their mind because they learned something.
In English culture it’s a sign of strength to be able to take on new information and opinions and to change your mind. You staff will respect you for it.
Once people learn that you are open to new ideas / suggestions/ contradictions / innovation, you’ll be amazed at how much more information they give you, and how inventive and positive people can be.
So your staff thought you were wrong, everyone spoke and listened, you changed your mind, you gained respect and learned something. I’d call that a good day.
