Craig T. Owens

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We can all agree that disagreeable people are some of the hardest to work with, constantly shooting down ideas without providing anything constructive in return. These types of people can quickly put a strain on any organization if left unchecked. However, we need to be careful not to lump disagreement into the category of disagreeable. In this episode Greg and I discuss why people in disagreement are actually the exact opposite of disagreeable, and are a valuable asset to your organization.

• [0:00] Introduction 
• [1:02] A strong quote about “no men” from Dick Brogden—“Strong leaders respect and need ‘no’ men. It is weak leaders who surround themselves with the ever agreeable. Unity requires honorable disagreement. Otherwise, you don’t have unity; you just have uniformity.”
• [2:06] Disagreeing people are not necessarily troublemakers.
• [2:59] What bothers me about disagreeable people?
• [3:49] Opinions vs facts have to be considered to determine if someone is disagreeable vs disagreeing.
• [4:36] Leaders are required to listen more to people who disagree with them.
• [7:00] Many new leaders mistakenly treat disagreeable people as an enemy.
• [8:44] Greg and I share how we misunderstood disagreeing people early on in our leadership journey.
• [11:04] Leaders need some thoughtful boundaries for disagreeable people.
• [13:28] How many times do we call someone disagreeable when they are simply disagreeing with us?
• [15:53] Make sure disagreeable people don’t dominate the conversation in meetings.
• [16:48] I apply a proverb from the Bible to disagreeing people.
• [18:35] Leaders need to guard against defensiveness when people disagree with them.
• [19:52] Greg shares a great quote to wrap up our discussion.
• [20:36] A leadership coach can help you sort out the disagreeing from the disagreeable.

My book When Sheep Bite is a great resource for dealing with people who are disagreeing to the point of becoming disagreeable. Check it out!