Let’s play the word association game. I’ll say a word, and you say the first thing that comes to mind. Ready… “arguments.”
I bet “wonderful” wasn’t the word that popped into your head. I get it. Getting into an argument is rarely a good thing, but when it comes to finding the best idea possible, you need to generate some wonderful arguments.
I had the chance to chat with Natania Mathany from A Thinking Ape about two of their key values: have wonderful arguments and may the best idea win. Natania is fostering a culture where a co-op student can, and is encouraged to, disagree with the CEO in pursuit of finding the best possible solutions.
But diving into a culture like that can be difficult depending on your personality type and the work environment that you’re used to. That’s why Natania focuses on continually reinforcing those two values for all employees.
Give it a listen and learn how to have wonderful arguments.
“We want a co-op student to feel like they can have a wonderful argument with our CEO.”
Natania Mathany
Head of People & Culture, A Thinking Ape Entertainment Ltd.
Natania is driven by developing authentic People strategies that contribute to maximizing one's potential. She focuses on driving a goal-oriented organizational design and communication architecture that best supports its people.
Resources
Another thing that we didn't get to touch on but that I believe is a mandatory piece of being able to have wonderful arguments, is psychological safety. Our leaders need to be able to foster this in the workplace in order for our people to have the trust and confidence to disagree. I like this article by HBR.