I had the opportunity to meet with Rob England aka “The IT Skeptic” while we were both at the Pink13 Conference. As we talked, the conversation turned quickly to a subject that we don’t often like to talk about in the IT industry – a lot of times, we seem to be afraid of a healthy debate.
I have noticed this is a number of settings. It isn’t that people agree all of the time. That’s definitely not the case. But it seems that people would prefer to avoid the conflict. We disagree silently, nod and smile and then walk out of the room. Rather than resolve the issue, we let it fester and undermine genuine efforts to move things forward.
I’m not sure if it is our era of “political correctness” or if we have simply forgotten the fine art of the debate, but I believe that we in IT must re-learn that a positive and respectful debate is not only healthy, but productive. As Rob and I talked, I developed a finer appreciation for his IT Skeptic nom de guerre. In a world in which we are afraid of healthy debate, we should all be skeptical.
We live in a complex world that is moving very fast. And it will only become more complex and move even faster. We simply cannot afford to make silly mistakes or poor decisions. The easiest and fastest way to avoid that fate is to subject yourself, your ideas and your directions to scrutiny. Not only should you not shrink from a healthy examination of your ideas, you should seek it out and welcome it.
If your ideas cannot withstand a healthy, respectful and, yes skeptical, examination, then I can almost guarantee that you are on the cusp of making a silly mistake or a poor decision. As IT professionals, as IT leaders, let’s finally put this to rest. Let’s check our egos at the door and step out boldly with our wild and crazy ideas. Let’s invite the world to challenge them and question them. Many of them will be shot down. That’s ok. Let’s celebrate the process. Because those that survive will be strong and powerful ideas that will change our world. But only if we are willing to let healthy debate and skepticism reign.
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