Why Keep Employees Who Disagree | Constructive Criticism

I recently wrote an article about the reasons to fire an employee. One of them was having a combative, argumentative employee who created problems with their negativity. But I also explained that “I am the first to encourage my people to tell me when they disagree with me […].”

When do you know your employee is not the problem?

If you have an unpredictable employee who is always looking to stir up trouble, stays highly negative, and drags down the morale of your staff, that is not a good employee. But if you have someone who does not mind telling you when they think you are wrong, a person who suggests alternatives and other ways to think about or analyze a situation, then that person is not a problem.

It is important to distinguish between someone who simply has rotten roots and someone who is trying to push the business and/or the team forward.

When you hire someone, do not look for a person who will only do what you ask. Look for someone who will help you solve problems you cannot solve alone. The point of recruiting is that this person will add real value to your business. My philosophy when filling a vacancy is simple: hire the person who will help me grow, grow their own role and responsibilities, and grow the team. I do not hire people to tell them what to do. I hire them so they can tell me.

Critical thinking and fresh perspectives

The most obvious benefit of critical thinking is that conflict naturally drives progress. Disagreements force you as a leader to confront the weaknesses in your ideas. Otherwise those weaknesses stay unchecked. They can turn into serious problems that can wreck your life and your business. On top of that, if you have an employee who always finds points to discuss with you, they may have a vision that can help you grow by improving your blind spots, and they may also have weaknesses you do not share. That way you can grow together, complementing each other.

Stubbornness and commitment

Entrepreneurs are notoriously stubborn. They have a vision for what they want their company or product to become, and they are not willing to sacrifice it. Just ask my earliest employees (from the start of my career) when they tried to help me. It could be very frustrating for them to implement new ideas or hit the goals I set, because if things did not follow the plan I had designed, I tended to lose patience.

That kind of stubbornness is also a weakness. It can lead companies to waste time on bad ideas or face disappointment when an impossible goal is not met. Having employees who disagree with you allows that obstinacy to be challenged when it should be. I learned a lot in my early years as an entrepreneur, and it took me time to accept delays, challenges, mistakes, and the lateness of clients, employees, and suppliers.

The importance of trust

It is normal for your employees, at least if they are not yes-men, to disagree with you (at least from time to time). What matters is that they understand disagreement does not mean being enemies. You need to cultivate freedom of expression in your business, and especially constructive criticism. If people trust you and you have learned to trust your team, you open a highly productive dialogue for the company. Teach them that you will not fire or punish them for speaking up. Be a boss who listens. The more you listen, the more you learn, and the more you can grow. Trust the intelligence of your employees.