Your agreeable colleagues might be holding you back.
Now that you’re hooked, let me zoom out for a second.
Most great workplace cultures have a feeling of openness and care. The types of people that are drawn to this environment tend towards higher empathy, and subsequently higher agreeableness.
Zooming back in, below are 3 of the top issues we will face:
- Lack of Innovation and Critical Thinking: When everyone avoids conflict or challenging ideas, creativity and innovation stagnates.
- Suppression of Honest Feedback: When people feel pressured to maintain harmony, they may withhold honest feedback, especially if it’s negative.
- Loss of Learning: Agreeable managers tend towards absorbing their team’s responsibilities when things get difficult, rather than coaching their team through difficulty.
Honing a healthy sense of disagreeableness is a super-power.
Learn it and flourish.