Leadership Wisdom of the Week #32

“Unity, not uniformity, must be our aim. We attain unity only through variety.”

– Mary Parker Follett, The New State

Today’s quote comes from one of the pioneers of modern management thought – and one of its earliest influential women – Mary Parker Follett. In this passage, she highlights the value of diversity of thought, and especially the importance of recognising and appreciating different viewpoints. She goes on to suggest that, rather than seeing differences as something that divides us, we should cherish the opportunity to see things in different ways.

As leaders, we are often responsible for building collaboration within our teams and projects. In line with Follett’s thinking, collaboration does not mean that everyone agrees on everything. On the contrary, it is about integrating different opinions and perspectives into something stronger than any individual viewpoint could be on its own.

Integration does not mean choosing one opinion over another or simply meeting halfway. It means looking for a solution that draws on what is valuable in the different perspectives.

This requires us not to be afraid of disagreement or constructive conflict, but to encourage people to voice different opinions. When we begin to feel uncomfortable, we need to pause and consider whether the conflict has truly become destructive – or whether people are simply disagreeing while continuing to treat one another with respect. If the latter is the case, the best response is often to make room for people to express their viewpoints and help them listen to one another’s perspectives.

If disagreement becomes personal or people behave in ways that undermine trust, it is time for the leader to intervene. However, teams should not wait for this to happen before discussing how they want to work when differences arise. Many teams have never explicitly agreed how they want to handle everyday situations that can become socially challenging. What does respectful challenge look like? How do we make sure that different voices are heard? What kinds of behaviour cross the line?

Agreeing on shared principles can help people be bolder in challenging situations and support psychological safety within the team.

Have you discussed with your team how you want to work when you disagree? Have you agreed which ways of challenging one another are encouraged and which cross the line?